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The air is full of new factoids here at the Holloman Air & Space Expo/X Prize Cup in New Mexico.
First of all, the Mojave Air and Space Port in California was a hopping place on Thursday. The big news is that the first piloted pump-fed rocket engine since the space shuttle has taken to the air.
Mojave-based XCOR Aerospace has given real oomph to the Rocket Racing League. Under the controls of former astronaut, Rick Searfoss, a rocket racer flew making three progressive hops using XCOR’s liquid oxygen/kerosene engine.
A delighted Granger Whitelaw, co-founder, President and CEO of the League announced the successful test hops at the X Prize Foundation’s Executive Summit. The flights have shown that everything was “tightened up and buttoned down,” he told me.
Now look for long duration flight in the near future. More than 30 shakeout flights are on the books, Whitelaw said, to evaluate everything from the plane’s tires to airframe, engines to and avionics.
Another bit of news is that by agreement with the International Space University, the Isle of Man — in the heart of the British Isles — has made a five-year commitment to establish and host the International Institute of Space Commerce - conceived of as the world’s leading authority on space commerce.
Also, there’s entry of a new “virtual angel investor group” that focuses on seed-and early-stage funding for space ventures. This virtual network of angel investors announced Friday the launch of its operations in the U.S. and Canada. The company’s online platform is designed to connect individual accredited investors to connect with space entrepreneurs for financing their ventures, noted Burton Lee, CEO of Space Angels Investments. Check it out via www.spaceangelsnetwork.com
Meanwhile, John Carmack and his Armadillo Aerospace Team are all thumbs up - ready to let their lunar lander designs roar skyward this weekend. If Armadillo succeeds, they’ll be snagging major prize money from NASA.
Â
October 29th, 2007 at 9:35 am
I’m sorry to have to correct you in a public forum, but misuse of words is something I can’t help commenting on and I could not find a way to contact you privately.
You used the word factoid in a context which suggests you believe it means an intersting little fact. It actully means the opposite: something which many people believe to be a fact but is actually false, usually because said factoid is frequently repeated in the media.
Here’s a link to the definition in Wiktionary:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/factoid
Ironically many prevalent factoids are related to science and technology.
For example, the myth of the tomatoe/strawberry with fish antifreeze genes pruduced through genetic engineering.
Also, even if your use of the word was correct, I would suggest that it is inappropriate, I actually think what goes on in the x-prize challenge is really important news, perhaps warranting a new word: I suggest saying “factastic” when talking about a new flight of a manned rocket vehicle.
Yossi Preminger
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Actually that’s incorrect. If you look in an actual *dictionary* which is edited by professionals as opposed to a “Wiktionary” which is edited by amateurs, you’ll see that one of the definitions of “factoid” is “a briefly stated and usually trivial fact.”
As for your second point, “The big news is that the first piloted pump-fed rocket engine since the space shuttle has taken to the air,” is indeed a factoid under the dictionary definition of a briefly stated and trivial fact.
November 7th, 2007 at 9:35 am
To my rescue - thanks for the assist.
Leonard