discovery1
10-11-2005, 16:50
Over the weekend, I and seven others from the Illinois Space Society went down to Las Cruces New Mexico to volunteer at the xcup (http://www.xpcup.com/index.cfm), a gathering of competitors in the x-prize(10 million USD for the first private astronaut Scaled Composites won it). We had a blast! After barely making our flight out of St. Louis(I was held up at securty for 10 min b/c I had a pair of scissors after we were already late), we found out they didn't have our cars in El paso. We almost got an SUV, but thought we had a better deal. We check it out, find it's not so great. Come back just in time to see the origina suv rented to someone else. But we got another bigger SUV so it was ok. Got to Las Cruces. We stayed at some woman's house with a bunch of other volunteers. Many in one room, including myself and someone who snored constantly and was very loud...... Sunday was the actual event. I was the aid to the media van, which involved me running around finding ppl and getting in flight videos. The latter involved me being the only volunteer with a runway pass, despite me being on a watchlist. As a result, I was able to get up close to the ez-rockt (http://www.xcor.com/ez.html)! I also got their card, useful... I was apparently so fast getting the taps that the edia ppl were able to edit in another segment(although the winds were pretty bad so there weren't as many launches as expected). All in all, it was a blast.
https://img409.imageshack.us/img409/3487/p10100342qc.th.jpg (https://img409.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100342qc.jpg)
x-cor ez-rocket being rolled to hanger after it's first flight. There was a problem with a fuel valve, which is why it's going back o the hanger. Fixed in time for the second flight.
https://img409.imageshack.us/img409/7528/p10100357jd.th.jpg (https://img409.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100357jd.jpg)
Ez-rocket in the hanger. From this angle it looks a bit like a Go-229 I think.
https://img421.imageshack.us/img421/6996/p10100377ru.th.jpg (https://img421.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100377ru.jpg)
Me in front of the ez-rocket. thanks to Aleta jackson for taking the pic.
https://img421.imageshack.us/img421/6710/p10100387ke.th.jpg (https://img421.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100387ke.jpg)
The Canadian Arrow (http://www.canadianarrow.com/vehicle1.htm). Based off the V2.
https://img421.imageshack.us/img421/193/p10100396fa.th.jpg (https://img421.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100396fa.jpg)
da vinci project (http://www.davinciproject.com/) rocket, It's to be launch by ballon at 60,000 feet
https://img426.imageshack.us/img426/9118/p10100401tb.th.jpg (https://img426.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100401tb.jpg)
Spac Ship 1, the winner of the x-prize
https://img426.imageshack.us/img426/7091/p10100414hs.th.jpg (https://img426.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100414hs.jpg)
da vinci project rocket, different paint job
https://img221.imageshack.us/img221/8639/p10100421wg.th.jpg (https://img221.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100421wg.jpg)
The Rocket plane (http://www.rocketplane.com/). We got the head of that company to take our picture(don't have that one though)
https://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4238/p10100443ls.th.jpg (https://img221.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100443ls.jpg)
armadilo aerospace (http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home) verticle takeoff and anding prototype. fell over on landing.
https://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6563/p10100503zv.th.jpg (https://img221.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100503zv.jpg)
The only pic of the space adventure's craft(well ,one of two).
https://img305.imageshack.us/img305/5697/p10100532bb.th.jpg (https://img305.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100532bb.jpg)
Another pic of the Arrow, this time with most of us in front of it. It was taken my one of the Arrow's staff. Got their card.
Did not sleep the night after. I did actually sleep on the flight. Our group leader lost their id in Pheonix, bu found it. also got lost on the way back to Urbana. I have more pics, although they are of the same stuff with us in them if anyone is interested, and a poor video of the ez-rocket in flight.
Comments?
https://img409.imageshack.us/img409/3487/p10100342qc.th.jpg (https://img409.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100342qc.jpg)
x-cor ez-rocket being rolled to hanger after it's first flight. There was a problem with a fuel valve, which is why it's going back o the hanger. Fixed in time for the second flight.
https://img409.imageshack.us/img409/7528/p10100357jd.th.jpg (https://img409.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100357jd.jpg)
Ez-rocket in the hanger. From this angle it looks a bit like a Go-229 I think.
https://img421.imageshack.us/img421/6996/p10100377ru.th.jpg (https://img421.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100377ru.jpg)
Me in front of the ez-rocket. thanks to Aleta jackson for taking the pic.
https://img421.imageshack.us/img421/6710/p10100387ke.th.jpg (https://img421.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100387ke.jpg)
The Canadian Arrow (http://www.canadianarrow.com/vehicle1.htm). Based off the V2.
https://img421.imageshack.us/img421/193/p10100396fa.th.jpg (https://img421.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100396fa.jpg)
da vinci project (http://www.davinciproject.com/) rocket, It's to be launch by ballon at 60,000 feet
https://img426.imageshack.us/img426/9118/p10100401tb.th.jpg (https://img426.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100401tb.jpg)
Spac Ship 1, the winner of the x-prize
https://img426.imageshack.us/img426/7091/p10100414hs.th.jpg (https://img426.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100414hs.jpg)
da vinci project rocket, different paint job
https://img221.imageshack.us/img221/8639/p10100421wg.th.jpg (https://img221.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100421wg.jpg)
The Rocket plane (http://www.rocketplane.com/). We got the head of that company to take our picture(don't have that one though)
https://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4238/p10100443ls.th.jpg (https://img221.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100443ls.jpg)
armadilo aerospace (http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home) verticle takeoff and anding prototype. fell over on landing.
https://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6563/p10100503zv.th.jpg (https://img221.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100503zv.jpg)
The only pic of the space adventure's craft(well ,one of two).
https://img305.imageshack.us/img305/5697/p10100532bb.th.jpg (https://img305.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10100532bb.jpg)
Another pic of the Arrow, this time with most of us in front of it. It was taken my one of the Arrow's staff. Got their card.
Did not sleep the night after. I did actually sleep on the flight. Our group leader lost their id in Pheonix, bu found it. also got lost on the way back to Urbana. I have more pics, although they are of the same stuff with us in them if anyone is interested, and a poor video of the ez-rocket in flight.
Comments?