Oct 2 2009 Serious Eye Candy: Amazing Photograph Of The World's Tallest Rocket Blasting Off
This is a photo of the world's tallest rocket blasting off for outerspace without me. Damnit, I packed a sack lunch and everything! HOLLER AT YOUR BOY, NASA. Come on -- I'll bring you back an alien corpse!
You're looking at the 253.2-foot Delta 4-Heavy lifting off from launch complex 37B at Cape Canaveral, and yes, that's actually a photograph. Good thing the camera was remotely triggered by photographer Ben Cooper, who used sound activation to snap this shot while he was safely ensconced 3 miles away.We feel sorry for that camera, though, whose lens was destroyed. The good news is, the camera itself somehow survived this hellish inferno as the world's tallest unmanned rocket roared away from its launchpad.
Impressive, huh? We've certainly come a long way since people thought the world was round, am I right? IT'S A D-20 YOU IDIOTS. God loves D&D! Now, gimme a roll for drunkenness, big guy. 19! BLAAAAAAAHH!!
World's tallest rocket roars away, captured in spectacular photo [dvice]
Apr 26 2009 3...2...1...: Largest Model Rocket Blasts Off
Remember the world's largest model rocket? Yeah, well it blasted off yesterday without a hitch (or Space Bat). This is a picture of the 36-foot tall, 1,600lb beast about to take to the skies. There's a couple more pictures and a video of the launch after the jump, so be sure to check that out. But not my girlfriend, or I'll punch you in the eyes.
Hit the launch button for the rest.
Continue Reading " 3...2...1...: Largest Model Rocket Blasts Off "
Apr 20 2009 Largest Model Rocket Ready For Blast Off
I did absolutely zero research to determine if this 36-foot tall, 1,600lb model rocket built by Steve Eves is, in fact, the largest ever, but that's only because I've already won numerous prizes for investigative journalism and figured I'd give somebody else a chance. I jest -- I'm just stoned to bejesus.
The mini-Saturn V is powered by nine rocket motors including 8 13,000ns N-Class motors and a single 77,000ns P-Class motor.
The single stage flight should reach an altitude somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 feet, and at apogee the rocket will separate into three parts and return to Earth via the assistance of various parachutes. In the end Eves estimates he's invested about 1,500 hours into the project with a total budget of around $25,000, though that will actually be covered by various sponsors come the April 25th launch event.
Nice. Reminds me of the time at Space Camp we built model rockets and launched them off with crickets as payload. I remember my cricket (Chirpy McHandicapped) only had one back leg. Well, before liftoff. After liftoff he had one back leg on fire. R.I.P. Chirpy, say hi to Space Bat for me.
Largest Model Rocket In History Is 36 Feet Tall, Weighs Over 1,600 Pounds [ohgizmo]
Thanks to Stephen, who once put a rocket's fin on crooked and the rocket went all crazy like PPSSSSHOOWWOWOWOWWOWWSSSSSSSS *pop*
Nov 21 2008 Bridge Constructed By Shooting Cable-Carrying Rockets Across Huge Valley
Just look at that bridge. I was almost tempted to call it Photoshopped, but then I remembered I'm not a stupid idiot. The Siduhe Grand Bridge has been in construction for over 4 years and stands 2,132 feet above the ground below. Holy shit! One of the initial problems with building the bridge was how to get the 3,200ft long cables across the valley. The answer? Attach them to rockets and blast them across.
so you've erected the enormous towers on each side of the deep valley, deeper than any valley previously bridged. how do you get a pilot cable from one tower to the next? previous solutions have included: attaching the cable to a kite and flying it over (e.g. niagara falls suspension bridge), carrying one end by helicopter (e.g. akashi kaikyo bridge) and floating one end on a boat (e.g. brooklyn bridge). the brains behind the siduhe bridge decided to ignore all those options and break another record instead. they attached the 3200ft cables to rockets and accurately fired them over the valley, becoming the first people to do so.
Hell yes! Ah, ingenuity at its finest. And also, rocket power. PSSSSSHOOOW! But seriously, for a case of beer I'll let you shoot me out of a cannon. Two cases and I'll even wear a paper hat.
Hit the jump for several pictures of the actual rocket firings. Pretty cool stuff.
Continue Reading " Bridge Constructed By Shooting Cable-Carrying Rockets Across Huge Valley "
Oct 27 2008 Dying Is Fun!: Rocket Car To Go 1,000 MPH
In 1997 Pilot Andy Green went 763mph in the Thrust SuperSonic Car, and now, 10 years later, is building a car that will potentially hit 1,000mph. And, hopefully for him, nothing else.
"Bloodhound isn't just about building a quick car," Andy told us. "Our main concern is education - we want this to be inspire kids to get into engineering. What better way to spark-up enthusiasm than building a 1000 mph car, then building the theory behind it into the National Curriculum?"
And consider this: 1000mph is literally faster than a speeding bullet. "If you shot at me with a hand gun, the bullet would just gently nudge into the back of the car," Green says.
Wow, faster than a speeding bullet -- move over Superman! Seriously, scoot the f*** over, you just touched my leg.
Hit the jump for several more conceptual pictures, a video of the Thrust run, and a conceptual video of the Bloodhound.
Continue Reading " Dying Is Fun!: Rocket Car To Go 1,000 MPH "
Oct 24 2008 Blast Off Into Space (Cramped And Alone)!
Copenhagen Suborbitals wants to send you into space, and on the cheap. Which means alone and stuffed into a little capsule atop a freaking rocket. Only limited arm movement will be possible, and you'll probably develop an itch on your back you can't scratch, which will inevitably ruin the entire trip. During the flight you'll experience 3g forces on your way to the far reaches of passing out and puking on yourself and then dying. No word on cost, but can you really put a pricetag on crashing into the moon?
Micro spacecraft to blast single brave rider into space [dvice]
And a very Happy Birthday to loyal Geekologist Jennifer, who, for her special day, can borrow my pet unicorn and fly him to the stars.
May 1 2008 Oh Hell Yes: The Personal Rocket-Copter
We've seen personal helicopters here before, but nothing with the added awesomeness of jet-power. Well now from the same company that brought us the Rocket Belt (Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana) comes the Libelula (named after a part of a woman's nether-region if I'm not mistaken) Rocket Helicopter. It's currently just conceptual, but they actually sold the Rocket Belts, so this may become a reality as well (oh hell yes, please). "By using tiny rocket motors at the tips of the rotor blades, the Libelula eliminates the torque which makes a tail rotor necessary in a conventional helicopter." Now, as a guy who judges how much fun something will be based on the level of danger involved, I give the rocket-copter a "moderate-to-high" ranking for fun potential. If they added bombs and missiles it'd score a solid "high". If it came with a faulty fuel gauge, one of the blades was just barely attached, and people shot at you every time you flew it I'd give it an "extreme" rating. Which, besides having unprotected sex with my ex-girlfriend, is the only activity to rank so highly.
Strap on rocket powered helicopter lets you demonstrate your bravery [dvice]
Oct 8 2007 UPDATE: Life Size X-Wing Flight Video
Andy Woerner and his friends built a life size X-Wing Fighter and are going to set that bitch off on in California on October 10th. It's 21-feet long and has a 19-foot wingspan. It's powered by four Class M rocket engines (on the wings), which produce a red glow, just like the original. It will be launched in a fashion similar to traditional model rockets, but after liftoff the wings are going to open to attack position, through the use of a motor the team installed. They hope to recover the X-Wing in one piece after it's flight (via 3 parachutes). I wish these guys the best, and hopefully they'll have some sweet video available afterwards. Oh, and Andy if you're reading this, I'll happily be strapped to it for it's maiden voyage. Sure it'll kill me, but it'll be a far better death than the slow, painful one my marriage provides.
A couple more of the ship after blast-off.
UPDATE: VIDEO ADDED. Note: It is sad. The guy in the video says it best.
Sep 5 2007 Spaceport America to Open in 2010
Spaceport America is scheduled to open in 2010, and this is the final design. Located in New Mexico, it's to be 100,000 square feet and cost about $31 million to build. Incorporating the latest in green technology, it promises to be environmentally friendly (minus all the rocket fuel). It will serve as a functional spaceport where Virgin Galactic will transport rich people here or even further into the cosmos. For poor people it will be a tourist attraction. It will also serve as the headquarters of the XPrize Cup and the Rocket Racing League and look like a public restroom toilet seat when viewed from above.
An interior shot after the jump.
Aug 28 2007 NASA's New Rocket
NASA has been doing extensive testing of its new 5M15 rocket out in the Mojave Desert, and by the look of things, it's awesome. The engine runs off compressed liquid methane, which NASA believes to be a smart choice.
The odorless substance has multiple advantages over conventional rocket propellants: It's cheaper, it requires much less insulation, and it exists on several planets NASA hopes to travel to, like Mars.
After watching the video I think it's safe to say that it's perfectly normal if it makes you hot and bothered. I had a pup tent appear as soon as the engine fired up, and I'm going to display it proudly all day as my way of saying "I love rockets".
The video after a jump (make sure to have the sound up for full effect).
Aug 21 2007 Rocket Fuel Powered Arm
Your current bionic arm just not cutting it? Tired of just rocking a pirate hook? Well a team at Vanderbilt University has developed a prosthetic arm that's powered by, that's right folks, rocket fuel! The team came up with the idea while trying to develop a system that functions with the same strength of a human arm.
Conventional prosthetic arms do not have the strength of their flesh-and-blood counterparts, the reason being the batteries. In order to lift comparable weights, a prosthetic arm would need a massive battery, too large for the prosthesis itself. So (project leader) Michael Goldfarb started thinking about other ways to power the artificial limbs, and came up with the idea of using the monopropellant rocket motor system that the space shuttle uses to maneuver in space.
It's pretty clear that this team lives by the same credo that I do. When trying to solve a problem, always consider some sort of projectile or explosive material in the final design. I mean, really, who needs a ding-dong anyways when you can have it torn or blown off by your bionic arm.
A video after the jump.
UPDATE: A scary picture of the robot arm wielding a gun after the jump.
