It could be called the “Little Rocket Show.” The X PRIZE Cup, which took place in Las Cruces, Nevada on October 20-21, was a showcase of potential rocket technologies that will one day get us regular folks to the stars. This second annual event, despite many organizational hurtles, still put on a good show.
Highlights of the show include three mostly successful flights of the Armadillo reusable rocket. The rocket flew to compete for the NASA Lunar Lander Challenge, sponsored by Northrup Grumman. The challenge requires a team to vertically launch and land a vehicle to a specific target and fly it back its starting point. As the only competitor ready in time for the X PRIZE Cup, John Carmack’s Armadillo Aerospace team should have been a shoe in… if it didn’t keep breaking its shoes. Each flight and maneuver was a success, but the vehicle kept landing hard, causing minor damage to its landing gear. On the fourth and final flight attempt, the vehicle simply toppled over.
Orion Aerospace gets kudos for most unusual application of rockets. Emblazoned with the saying “In Thrust We Trust,” the rocket truck had several successful static test firings. Too bad they weren’t allowed to drive it. The rocket bike added some humor to an otherwise serious event. A small engine attached to a bicycle was failed to stay lit after several attempts. Well at least the pilot could ride home to base!
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The most consistent rocket launches came from Tripoli Rocketry Association. This venerable society of rocketeers has decades of launch experience, and they proved it with the successful launch and parachute landing of several large rockets. Early in the show, Tripoli volunteers helped dozens of children launch hundreds of small Estes-class model rockets.
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This year Rocketman joined the event. A long time staple of concerts and large events such as the 1984 Olympics, he flew on cue for thirty seconds to an amazed crowd.
Speaking of children, over six thousand children, some from as far as El Paso, Texas, arrived by bus and attended the X PRIZE Cup. It was an amazing sight to see so many kids. Hopefully some great rocket heroes will emerge from these bright and eager folks.
The X PRIZE Cup exhibits were spread across the Las Cruces airport, once again bordered by shipping containers covered with giant colorful banners. Robots were all over the show. NASA had a model of the Mars Opportunity rover, plus they had a mini rover that kids could control. Our friends from the Robotics Society of America made a strong impression with visitors by demos of RoboNova bots, a moon rover and R2-D2. Sandia National Labs demonstrated some all-terrain worker bots that assembled building blocks. Finally Lockheed-Martin gathered attention by its entertainment bot.
The Space Elevator competition sponsored by Elevator 2010 offered a $100,000 prize for the first team to climb 200 feet under solar power. The contest coordinator was none other than Roger Gibertson, well known in the robotics world as founder of Mondo-tronics, and the Robot Store. Fragile solar-powered machines attempted to crawl up a ribbon held by a giant crane. At least 13 teams competed from as far away as Germany. The University of Saskatchewan team, led by Edwin Zhang, reached the highest altitude under beamed power, about one third of the full distance. At that point, their 10.7-square-foot (one-square meter) array of space-grade solar cells yielded insufficient energy to continue.
VIPs galore also graced the event. A dozen astronauts took turns on the big speakers tent to talk with visitors. Apollo 11 astronaut “Buzz” Aldrin took the stage and talked about his early days and what inspired him to fly. At the X PRIZE Foundation tent, the newest private space traveler, Anousheh Ansari signed autographs and spoke to visitors.
The 2006 X PRIZE Cup was a good show. Once the difficulties inherent in a young event are worked out, the Cup could become a leading showcase for space technology and a jump start for a golden space age.
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