It doesn’t seem to be covered very well on the jumbo screens and program, but the University of Michigan tether team apparently had a successful climb in the Challenge. Go Blue!

I had heard earlier that two of the Canadian teams had dropped out. They didn’t win the prize, though, because there was too much wind, and they couldn’t meet the speed requirements with the tether jittering around. This scoop brought to you by my old…errrrrr, I mean long-time (she’s actually my age, within a few days) friend Margaret Jordan, who just came over to the press tent to tell me.

One small rocket ride for a man on a bicycle.

Out on the tarmac, Tim Pickens of Orion Propulsion just demonstrated his asphalt-powered rocket bike (which, by the way, may have been featured on the Daily Show yesterday–Tim was telling us about his visit from Jon Stewart earlier this week).

It wasn’t one of his better efforts. The burn seemed short. As he glided past the press tent, Robin Snelson yelled out, “That was punk!”

Sigh. When will the media discover that they’re supposed to cover the news, not make it?

…than mine can be found over at space.com, which is the official media for it. This has aroused some controversy, as Keith Cowing notes.

Clark Lindsey has gotten his connection going.

We just got a flyover from an F-117. I suspect from Holloman AFB, but not sure.

Back to rockets.

Tripoli is going to launch another rocket, supposedly in five minutes, at 10:30. Also, the Rocket Racing League and XCOR are going to unveil the first rocket racer about 10:45.

[Update]

Half an hour late. The first attempt fizzled, but they started the count again about a minute later, and then had a spectacular launch. It went straight up, out of sight, and came back down with a strobe and a streamer. The chutes opened a couple hundred feet off the ground. Looked nominal to me. Also, the crane picked up Armadillo’s vehicles and started hauling them over to the launch pad for their Lunar Landing Prize attempt.

I didn’t report much on the symposium earlier this week, because I was too busy schmoozing to hear a lot of it and the wireless situation was so crummy, but here’s an article at the New Scientist about etiquette in space. Most of it seems like common sense to me.

I didn’t report much on the symposium earlier this week, because I was too busy schmoozing to hear a lot of it and the wireless situation was so crummy, but here’s an article at the New Scientist about etiquette in space. Most of it seems like common sense to me.

I didn’t report much on the symposium earlier this week, because I was too busy schmoozing to hear a lot of it and the wireless situation was so crummy, but here’s an article at the New Scientist about etiquette in space. Most of it seems like common sense to me.

I didn’t follow up yesterday, because I never got a connection in the afternoon, but Armadillo does have FAA permission to fly today, as Alan Boyle reported. Their first attempt at the Level 1 is scheduled shortly.

People here are frantically looking for a rogue wireless network, which is interfering with Armadillo’s ground-to-air communications. John controls it with a joystick operating on 2.4 GHz.

In the meantime, “Rocketman” (aka Don Schlund) is supposed to fly on a peroxide rocket belt in five minutes or so.

[Update a few minutes later]

He flew around on the tarmac for a little less than thirty seconds (that’s how much propellant he has). Max altitude, probable thirty or forty feet. It was quite loud. I’m sure he wears earplugs, but there should probably have been some for the closer spectators as well.

Meanwhile, while we’re waiting for Armadillo to do their Lunar Lander Challenge attempt, go read Jon Goff’s account of getting to Las Cruces and setting up, with Masten Aerospace.

And Anousheh Ansari’s plane just landed and taxied in front of us.

[Update at noon]

Jeff Foust has a picture of the Rocketman. He has other pictures (and a video, laready) as well. Check out the adjacent posts.