I mentioned earlier the UK’s Register newspaper’s LOHAN (Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator) project. They have now opened the crowd-funding campaign to pay for their launch at Spaceport America in New Mexico: Balloon launch of the Vulture 2 rocket-powered spaceplane by Special Projects Bureau — Kickstarter.
The world’s first 3D-printed, rocket-powered aircraft will lift off from Spaceport America, New Mexico, in Autumn 2014
Here’s their Kickstarter video:
The latest Mars One newsletter has been posted: Mars Exchange: the new interactive Mars One community component.
Check out the new networking site for Mars One supporters : Mars One Community Platform
![transporter[1]](http://hobbyspace.com/Blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/transporter1.png)
NASA JPL and Thingiverse sponsored the MakerBot Mars Base Challenge in which contestants were to
design a utilitarian Mars base that can withstand the elements and maybe even make you feel at home, despite being 140 million miles away from Earth, on average.
Three winners have been selected : Welcome To Mars. Here’s Where You’ll Be Staying: In a fun competition to design a 3-D-printed Martian habitat, three designs are finalists. – Popular Science.
The design models are 3D printable.
* The Queen B (Bioshielding) 2 Bedroom 2 Bath Mars Apartment by NoahHornberger
![10_revised_preview_card[1]](http://hobbyspace.com/Blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/10_revised_preview_card1.jpg)
![MarsPryamid-4_Feature_preview_card[1]](http://hobbyspace.com/Blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/MarsPryamid-4_Feature_preview_card1.jpg)
* The Mars Acropolis by cstarrman
![Mars_Acropolis_1_preview_card[1]](http://hobbyspace.com/Blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Mars_Acropolis_1_preview_card1.jpg)
A reminder that the Moonandback effort to transcribe and archive their great collection of NewSpace interview videos needs your help: The People of NewSpace (2010-2013) — a Moonandback documentary project>RocketHub
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We have acquired a unique record of interviews, speeches and presentations over the past three-plus years. This project is seeking funds to transcribe our 102+ hours of video content for donation to the National Air & Space Museum. It will take $10,500 to get the archive transcribed and into a repository at the Smithsonian. Our stretch goal (anything above $10.5K) will enable us to continue documenting the broad canvas that is the NewSpace community.
Andrew Nelson of XCOR made their contribution – Twitter / XCORAndrew:
@XCOR donated $1k to @MoonandbackGuy‘s “People of NewSpace”. @MichaelBelfiore calls it “important historical record” http://www.rockethub.com/projects/45110-the-people-of-newspace-2010-2013-a-moonandback-documentary-project …
Update: Twitter / XCORAndrew:
We challenge large space companies to double our $1k pledge, and small space companies to match it — http://www.rockethub.com/projects/45110-the-people-of-newspace-2010-2013-a-moonandback-documentary-project …
The CSXT (Civilian Space eXploration Team) on May 17, 2004 became the first amateur group to send a rocket t o space (i.e. greater than 100 km or 62 miles) when their GoFast rocket reach 115 km (72 miles) high.
A new GoFast rocket was launched on July 14th this year and it broke their old record by reaching 117.6 km (73.1 miles) high. Here is a compilation of clips from cameras on the vehicle:
From the caption:
GoFast 2014 Space Launch Team
The GoFast 2014 rocket officially set a new world record on July 14, 2014 as the highest and fastest amateur rocket ever launched into space.
Analysis of the data from the recovered military grade Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) that flew onboard shows that the GoFast rocket reached 385,800 feet above mean sea level (73.1 miles) and hit a top speed of 3,580 miles per hour. The old record held by the CSXT’s GoFast 2004 rocket was 72 miles with a top speed of 3,420 mph.
The GoFast 2014 IMU had flown successfully on four commercial space missions at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in New Mexico and was calibrated using C-Band transponder US Army radar tracking data prior to its flight into space on the GoFast rocket July 14, 2014. Statistical analysis of the WSMR flights and the GoFast 2014 launch verifies the 73.1 miles attained by the GoFast rocket has a variation of 0.6 miles with a confidence level of 95%.
Congratulations to everyone for a job well done! Thank you so much for everyone’s participation and endless hours making this launch a success.
GoFast 2014 list of accomplishments;
• World record highest altitude rocket launch
• World record fastest speed rocket launch
• First photo taken from space onboard an amateur rocket
• Second amateur rocket in history to reach space
Update Aug.31.2014: Here’s a photo of the CSXT group that launched the GoFast 2014 rocket:
