New Zealand To Launch First Private Space Rocket 96
RobGoldsmith sends in a Space Fellowship piece (which seems to be a press release) about New Zealand's entry into the space age. "Private New Zealand aerospace company Rocket Lab completed its final ground-based test today and is now ready to launch New Zealand into the space race with its Atea-1 launch vehicle. The first high-altitude launch of Atea-1 is scheduled for the end of November this year. Once Atea-1 has successfully concluded the development phase it will be the first privately built rocket launched from the Southern Hemisphere to enter space. The article features a new CGI movie on the launch."
Manned "amateur" space flight in Denmark (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Rocket Lab to launch... (Score:4, Interesting)
I've seen some pretty amazing engineering coming out of our NZ neighbors. They remind me of the Swiss more than anyone else. Amazing motorcycles, Stirling-cycle heat pumps, custom cars, all good stuff and very advanced. It would not surprise me in the least if they succeeded in a private space venture.
Add good engineering to the amazing amount of high quality educational material available online (the full University syllabus material out there) and I can imagine little pockets of excellent engineering and sound science popping up all over the globe.
Give the Internet some credit for this too.
xena connection (Score:2, Interesting)
New Zealand is where Xena was filmed. The new planetoid recently discovered was also named Xena. Coincidence? I think not.
Bowie's In Space (Score:2, Interesting)
Hopefully it will look something like this...
Flight of the Conchords, Bowie's In Space:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4zV4pJ8MwM [youtube.com]