Craig:
This really is very naive: the vast majority of “rocket scientists” with
more than a couple years experience spend most of their time generating
viewgraphs and “filling out paperwork”; it only gets worse when one
graduates to project management. Only at the program management level does
one get to push the paper to one’s staff.
Filling out paperwork is excellent training for future aerospace engineers.
Bill
On Fri, Jun 8, 2018 at 9:54 AM Craig Fink <webegood@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Fri, Jun 8, 2018 at 9:10 AM Aplin Alexander T <
dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Classification: UK OFFICIAL
It's worth reading the FAQ as it addresses many of the issues folk are
raising on [AR]:
https://www.herox.com/spacechallenge/faq
For example:
"Why is the focus on liquid fuels?
Currently, the commercial space industry, including SpaceX and Blue
Origin, use liquid-fueled engines, yet most existing student rocketry
programs focus on solids or hybrids. Because the Base 11 Space Challenge
aims to fulfill the urgent need for diverse, well-trained STEM talent, the
challenge focuses on liquid propulsion."
To really allow amateurs and students to participate in this arena, it's
all about removing the obstacles. So that the sole focus of participants
can be on the fun part of designing, building and flying. In this thread
there was discussion of how to spend the Million Dollar prize and quite
frankly, it was about paying for all the "artificial obstacles" . Even the
word obstacle is too nice, they are really barriers intentionally place in
the path to stifle development (maybe unintentionally). If the winner of
the contest gets nothing, and everyone else gets a huge bill from the
government and it's contractors (who profit), there are no winners to this
contest, just losers.
Having a contest to fill out government paperwork, sounds like a contest
for law students, not future rocket scientist.
https://spaceportamerica.com/
If ,Space Port America, really wants to be the innovation hub that they
really want to be, they need to spend the Million Dollars on removing all
the obstacles that are distracting from the contest, and offer a more
modest reward, like a "cup".
https://www.americascup.com/
Removing the barriers like.
Space Port America will deal with the FAA and the airspace above it's
range.
Space Port America will deal with propellants logistics and sell them at
wholesale prices by the gallon to amateurs and students.
Space Port America will provide a universal tracking and flight
termination package for it's range
As an amateur or student, just showing up with a rocket and it's support
equipment should be enough, if the goal is to really foster future rocket
scientists.
Ideally, I should be able to bring my 2 liter coke bottle rocket modified
to run on liquid hydrogen/hot water and fly it 100 times in one day for the
cost the liquid hydrogen from the Space Port America pump. And, if I'm
flying something bigger, Space Port America will ask me to strap on their
Flight Termination Package that they monitor and control.
And on the 4th of July, KSC, should do the same thing
--
Craig Fink
WeBeGood@xxxxxxxxx
