Re: [amsat-bb] Story on ABC World News

["laura halliday" <marsgal42@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jay, kf6rmg <kf6rmg@hotmail.com> wrote:

>There was a story on the news earlier this evening that I thought would be 
>of interest. The topic was "Is a Homemade Rocket the
>Future?", about a man designing an inexpensive (compared to
>NASA) reusable rocket from hardware store materials...

These stories attract lots of media attention, but has any
of these projects launched a gram into orbit? Do they have
any idea when they will be able to launch useful payloads
(e.g. 10 kilos) into useful orbits?

Nobody will applaud louder than I will when we have cheaper,
more accessible access to space. But we don't have it yet,
and, judging by the breathless commentary in the mass media,
it will be a while yet. Oufits like Orbital and Arianespace
may be expensive, but they can deliver *now*.

>Perhaps AMSAT should consider doing business with this person
>at some point in the future. Just a thought.

What sort of payload did you have in mind? No point in
volunteering others: what are *you* going to do about it?

Laura Halliday VE7LDH     "Que les nuages soient notre
Grid: CN89mg               pied a terre..."
                                   - Hospital/Shafte
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