Forum Index > Full Moon Saloon > Rutan is back and he's going for the X Prize
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MtnGoat
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MtnGoat
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PostSat Apr 19, 2003 11:42 am 
Burt Rutan is known for brilliant aeronautical research, unconventional designs, and getting results on special projects. His company, Scaled Composites, designed and built the Voyager, which went around the world nonstop on one fueling, along with many other high efficiency designs. Yesterday Rutan unveiled SC's ongoing private space program and intent to sieze the the X Prize, an award of $10 Mill to the first private, non govt entity to launch civilians into space (defined as 100km high, or 62 miles) and return them safely to earth, a task which must be done twice in 10 days to win. Rutan's unconventional take on this project includes an airborne launch from a mother ship, and a tiny suborbital aircraft powered by a rocket engine burning liquid rubber oxidized by nitrous. Re entry will be accomplished by feathering large tailsurfaces to achieve an extreme nose up attitude for the craft in order to increase surface drag and keep the temperatures low enough to escape using heat tiles on the hull. Check it all out at: http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/index.htm Way cool. With Rutan in the race, I'll bet the other competitors are sweating it!

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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Newt
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PostSat Apr 19, 2003 12:24 pm 
Neat. If the first flight is successful, do you think the craft could be thoroughly inspected for a safe 2nd try? Just seems like a short amount of time for a good inspection. NN

It's pretty safe to say that if we take all of man kinds accumulated knowledge, we still don't know everything. So, I hope you understand why I don't believe you know everything. But then again, maybe you do.
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Smokey
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PostSat Apr 19, 2003 12:59 pm 
I grew up near Mojave and saw the Voyager flying some test flights. With that wingspan it looked huge in the sky. I got to see it in Rutan's shop also before it went to the Smithsonian. Rutan is always big news in that area. It amuses me when I read that his brother is the test pilot. They remind me of a couple of kids. One comes up with the contraption then talks his brother into jumping off the roof to see if it works. Edwards Air Force base is close by too. Sonic booms are a way of life in that area. The eastern Sierra is just to the north, great place to visit. Try out Domingo's in Boron, the first place the shuttle crews want to go when they land at Edwards. Go Burt.

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Sore Feet
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PostSat Apr 19, 2003 11:41 pm 
up.gif That is one wicked looking plane. Turbo cool. cool.gif

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Backpacker Joe
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PostSun Apr 20, 2003 4:43 pm 
Well good luck to them all! They may need it. Although, the soviets got into space with around the same budget! biggrin.gif TB

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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