Right Out of Heinlein

By | January 5, 2007

The tough, visionary entrepreneur and his team of engineers test a new spacecraft out in the desert. In the pre-dawn hours, a truck hauls the craft from the hangar to the launch pad. The chuckwagon serves biscuits cooked over an open fire. A makeshift playground is set up for the kids. At dawn, the rocket is launched to the thunderous applause of the onlookers. The entrepreneur opens an oversized bottle of champagne.

It really happened, about six weeks ago.

  • http://bleyddyn.livejournal.com/2347.html AndrewS

    It also looks remarkably like the second stage of a two stage rocket that was described in the online serial “The Rocket Company”, which is sadly no longer available online.

  • http://www.liftport.com/progress/wp bdunbar

    Pournelle pointed it out and reminded me – it LOOKS like DC/X …

    The chuckwagon serves biscuits cooked over an open fire.

    And a a friggin’ coat of arms on the side. With a latin inscriptionn. We’re living in a science fiction world.

    Not that that is a bad thing …

  • http://bleyddyn.livejournal.com/2347.html AndrewS

    The entrepreneur opens an oversized bottle of champagne.

    Tried, actually. Apparently he broke the cork off in the bottle. Sheesh, not like it’s rocket science or anything :)

  • http://www.liftport.com/progress/wp bdunbar

    You know what they say – rocket science is easy. Rocket engineering is tough.