Rocketman

From: "Theodore Knab"
To:
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2001 7:06 PM
Subject: [spacesettlers] Rocketman

>
> Here is an article about a guy called rocket-man that is making a hydrogen
> peroxide rocket to be launched into space in the Fall 2001. His rocket
> cost him about $250,000. It might prove to be a safer and cost efficient
> means of propelling future colonists into orbit.
>
> http://www.nypostonline.com/news/nationalnews/29858.htm
>

Hmmm... Indeed, it will be not even a suborbital flight, and I kind of doubt
that hydrogen peroxide has any advantage against other fuels except for the
fact that it is easier to make an hydrogen peroxide rocket. Also, I would
not call this "safer" - I've heard somewhere that large volumes of hydrogen
peroxide have some probability of turning into gas suddenly - a kind of
explosion. (Could anyone confirm this?)

However, I consider that a valuable effort on the line of showing that space
may also be opened to the common citizen. If I remember correctly, this guy
is running for the X Prize, created specifically to favor the development of
cheap access to space.

[snikt]
Lucio Coelho