This is not a NASA Website. You might learn something. It's YOUR space agency. Get involved. Take it back. Make it work - for YOU.
Commercialization

Crowdsourcing Yourself Into Space

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
June 14, 2012
Filed under ,

The Crazy DIY Spaceflight Project That Just Might Work
“Keith Cowing, editor of NASAWatch.com, said Copenhagen Suborbitals has yet to convince anyone that they’ve built something safe to fly in. Spine-severing vibration, blackout-inducing acceleration and catastrophic hardware failures could each doom a would-be passenger. “But the fact that I’m not making fun of this and worrying about detailed technical aspects is fascinating. We don’t giggle at it anymore,” said Cowing, a former biologist who did payload integration for NASA and has completed suborbital scientist astronaut training. “In the past few years, it’s no longer considered lunacy to try and build a rocket ship that you or someone could get into and take you to edge of space,” he said. “I think we’re watching something that may be bigger than we realize it is. Copenhagen Suborbitals is an extreme example.”

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

4 responses to “Crowdsourcing Yourself Into Space”

  1. bobhudson54 says:
    0
    0

    Its something like this that will give space Commercialization a bad name. Folks not taking the task seriously,being careless in their work,etc.,all are a recipe for disaster.

    • Steve Whitfield says:
      0
      0

      Folks not taking the task seriously, being careless in their work, etc.,all are a recipe for disaster

      Bob,

      What is your source for such a damning accusation? I haven’t read anything in this article or any other that suggests any basis for your highly critical statement. Just because they’ve managed to eliminate massive overheads and are steering clear of political entanglements doesn’t mean that they’re not competent; quite the opposite, actually. Robert Goddard started with a good deal less than these guys and worked alone. These two guys are being aided by 30 volunteers who believe in the project, donations of money and equipment, and corporate sponsors.

      Different doesn’t mean bad. In fact, different often means better these days. If these guys succeed in reaching their 60-mile goal, working on a shoe string, they’re going to be heroes in the eyes of space advocates across the whole planet.

      Why are you being so negative?

      Steve

    • meekGee says:
      0
      0

      Well, they’re not going to put anyone inside it until they launch a few rockets without a hitch, right?

      And if and when they get the first successful unmanned flight, there will be enough money to pay for a whole series of test launches.

      And until they put a person inside, they’re no different than any other rocket club, except of course for the size of their balls 🙂

      So why worry?

    • meekGee says:
      0
      0

      Besides, they’re not going to put anyone inside it until they launch a few rockets without a hitch, right?

      And if and when they get the first successful unmanned flight, there will be enough money to pay for a whole series of test launches.

      And until they put a person inside, they’re no different than any other rocket club, except of course for the size of their balls 🙂

      So why worry?