Some more details on the Falcon 1 Flight 3 failure

At the annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites in Logan, Utah, on Wednesday, Gwynne Shotwell of SpaceX provided some additional details on the failure of the third Falcon 1 launch earlier this month in a previously-scheduled talk about the mission. She showed the rocket’s-eye view of the launch previously released on the SpaceX web site, […]

Rocket Racer takeoff video

While in Oshkosh last weekend I experimented with some video of the Rocket Racer flights and other activities. Below is one short sample: the XCOR-powered Rocket Racer taking off on Saturday, August 2:

Rocket Racer takeoff at Oshkosh from Jeff Foust on Vimeo.

I’ll add some more video as time (and video quality) permits.

[…]

More of the same at Oshkosh; Armadillo status

The Rocket Racing League’s first racer flew again at the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on Saturday. This time the weather was better than Friday, when a storm encroached on the area; Saturday featured clear skies and light winds, so the Rocket Racer, again piloted by Rick Searfoss, flew a more ambitious series […]

Rocker Racer flies at Oshkosh

I was at the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on Friday and saw the Rocket Racing League’s first vehicle fly during an afternoon performance. I have a collection of images from the day, including both the flight and some items at their exhibit, including the second racer (which, RRL officials said, will begin […]

Scaled statement on SS2 accident investigation

On Friday Scaled Composites issued an accident investigation update about last July’s propulsion system test accident that killed three company employees and injured three others. The statement does not indicate a cause of the accident, and notes that a Cal OSHA investigation that wrapped up in January did not determine a cause. The statement does […]

Narcissism, “eco-hypocrites”, and space tourism

Well, someone is not too happy with the concept of personal spaceflight. In a letter to the editor in Saturday’s Washington Post, C. Anthony Altar of Garrett Park, Maryland, uses the WhiteKnightTwo rollout to complain that personal spaceflight is “selfish excess” that should be prohibited. Such travelers, or, rather, “eco-hypocrites”, “burn toluene and other pollutants” […]