Highlights from Bezos Blue Origin Flight

[Hans Tucker]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY8MugLKiOc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dwfx8IdMds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w68m3WK2rPs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQK5xJal68c

[Peter Ward]

My son and I used to launch model rockets when he was in pre-school.

As far as I can tell, Bezos & Co have launched a seriously large version of that Estes rocket, great fun!

But several orders of magnitude less difficult than going into orbit. I guess you can also work it out by the ticket price...about $US250,000 to go on a New Shepard ride. But you can also book a few nights on the IIS for a paltry $US55million.

Now...where did I store that model rocket kit??

[Hans Tucker]

With Bezos flight you just don't get the Sheppard experience .. the long launch delay ... and the urge to urinate in your Space Suit.

Was launching model rockets allowed in Australia? I thought this was a joy only kids in the USA got.

[RB]

Yes it's allowed in Australia.
I used to launch Estes rockets with my kids all the time, still do when little kids visit. :)

That's how I ended up with the user name RB, (Rocket Boy) when I joined IIS.

:thumbsup:

[Startrek]

Another high altitude space toy for the rich, struggled to get up just above 60 miles
Old Shepard ( Smili’n Al ) went 116 miles up , controlled the orientation of his Mercury capsule at apogee with pitch and yaw thrusters , had a sneak look at Mother Earth , aligned his spacecraft for re entry attitude and plummeted straight down pulling 9 G’s at one point. All with late 50’s technology and sitting in his own urine
They have the gaul to call it New Shepard
My 2 cents .....

[Peter Ward]

For a few less $ you can still pick up one of these on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com.au/Estes-Mercury-Red-Stone-Model/dp/B00TKBLRFM/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2WSTFA8TQZ61R&dchild=1&keywords=estes+rocket&qid=1626825589&sprefix=estes%2Caps%2C406&sr=8-7)
Hurry!.....before they get banned!

[multiweb]

:eyepop: Did the chicken have helmets? :question:

[multiweb]

:lol::lol::lol: Dont' hold back. ;)

[RB]

No need!
My rockets never fowl up.
Unlike other, more expensive ones.

:lol:

[multiweb]

:lol: you took kerbal to a whole new level.

[RB]

:D

KFC_KSP at the Kentucky Space Centre....

:lol:

[xelasnave]

I suspect these joy flights will take off.
There are many folk who can easily afford a ticket...certainly if you did the numbers you would think opportunity is knocking...just think how it could become trendy..like climbing Everest...the long lines of hopefuls will appear.
And the folk who are going ...are going into space thats what they believe so dont let facts get in the way of marketing.
Alex

[glend]

Jeff Beszos thanks to Amazon employees for "paying" for his venture, pretty much take the cake for non- genuine appreciation, given the notorious working conditions they put up with. If you want some perspective on this have a look at this article:

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/the-dark-truth-of-amazon-founder-and-billionaire-jeff-bezos-space-flight-ambitions/news-story/a1108e69829bf420b38ede0377f93173

[DavidTrap]

About 20yrs ago when I used to fly RC helicopters, there was a model rocketry club that used our flying field. Was run through the local church and the rockets were built by kids. They needed multiple permits from different government departments to legally launch the rockets and the kids weren't allowed to press the launch button.

I guess it's a bit like flying drones - if you follow all of the rules, you'll rarely find an opportunity to fly them.

DT

[glend]

As a kid in the early 1960s I used to buy Estes model rocket kits and engines from my local hobby shop. No restrictions, no permits, no adult supervision. Nothing like a bunch of 10 year old boys out in a field setting off rockets.

[bobson]

Has anyone noticed this about Bezo's rocket?

https://youtu.be/xW-Ch590IsI

[Hans Tucker]

Careful people ... lets just limit any responses to this. The last time we, including myself, went down this road the Moderators were kind enough just to delete the suggestive responses .. don't want to force their hand and lock the thread.

[GrahamL]

Did a couple of model rocket flights.. from memory you do have to give up some info to buy the motors .. I do remember one getting a little tweak and at launch went vertical for 20 metres then horizontal for 50 + metres right towards the highway patrol team doing random tests near bye .. and it was all painted green like a missile.. when that motor died at 1.3 seconds and fell short oh god I was so

happy not to have to run :D

[Hans Tucker]

All this discussion about launching rockets reminds me of the movie October Sky which was based on the memoir of Homer H. Hickam Jr. Must get around to reading the book.

[RB]

Yep, those were the days Glen !!



LOL Graham, lucky escape !!

Up until a few years ago, you could still buy the model rockets and Estes engines from local hobby shops, even Hobyco in Sydney.
Never got asked any questions etc.

:shrug:



Exactly Hans, that's where I got the idea for my username, Rocket Boy (RB).

:thumbsup:

[Hans Tucker]

"Despite flying to the edge of space, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos does not qualify for his astronaut wings, after the US Federal Aviation Authority tightened its rules.

Bezos and the crew of Blue Origin took off from their base at Van Horn, Texas, at 9.12am EST on Tuesday, the 52nd anniversary of the moon landing.

They ascended for four minutes before the fully autonomous New Shepard rocket booster separated, leaving them floating in zero gravity for four minutes.

It is the autonomous portion of the spaceflight that will see Bezos, his brother Mark, Wally Funk and Oliver Daemen miss out on their FAA-approved wings.

In order to qualify, they have to make a contribution to the flight and to human space flight safety while travelling beyond the 50 miles mark defined as space by the FAA. "

[xelasnave]

They probably did those things but too humble to say so:P
Alex

[multiweb]

They did throw MnMs in each other's mouth in zero G. Does that count? :question:

[xelasnave]

When you are at the top of the pyrimid everything you do counts as it is just so much more important than anything anyone else is doing;)
Alex

[Hans Tucker]

Technically ... it was Skittles. The Candy choice of Astronauts on the ISS. Space Food Sticks would have been too cliche.

Could have been more amusing if one of the passengers did a Homer

[RB]

Here in the IIS control room we still throw IISapce Food Sticks at eachother ....
It's not so much a cliche for us but rather a double entendre.


:lol:

[multiweb]

Geez... this thread is turning into a Statler and Waldorf skit again....:P