Space Geeks: 2 NASA: 0

[Tuckerfan]

PayPal’s founder’s rocket passes engine tests.

Rocket-launch newcomer Space Exploration Technologies Corp. today accomplished a critical engine firing at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base, a long-awaited event that puts the company much closer to its inaugural blastoff later this summer.

The Falcon 1 rocket roared its first stage engine during the dramatic five-second firing to demonstrate countdown procedures and ring out equipment bugs at the rebuilt Space Launch Complex-3 West pad.

After two false starts in recent weeks, the 70-foot-tall vehicle rumbled to life as today’s countdown hit the planned T-minus zero second mark at 9 a.m. local time (12 p.m. EDT; 1600 GMT).

The low-cost, privately-developed Falcon 1 rocket is the creation of Elon Musk, the South African spending his own cash to bring the new launcher from the drawing board to reality. Musk was co-founder of PayPal, the online payment system, and earlier the Zip2 software company.

:::Wanders off humming IGY:::

[Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor]

::Wanders off humming The Right Stuff::

[Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup]

::wonders why Bosda thought NKOTB was appropriate::

This is great. I firmly believe that private industry will beat the government back to the moon, and perhaps even to Mars.

::wanders off humming the theme to 2001::

[GorillaMan]

::wanders by humming the theme to Button Moon::
::wonders how many people will know what he’s humming::

[Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus]

@Happy Scrappy Hero Pup

::wonders why Bosda thought NKOTB was appropriate::

This is great. I firmly believe that private industry will beat the government back to the moon, and perhaps even to Mars.

::wanders off humming the theme to 2001::

International Geophysical Year? I didn’t know it was a tune, but it was a slightly misnamed 18 month period around 1958; I believe some of the early satellite launches were part of its program.

[silenus]

@Spectre of Pithecanthropus

International Geophysical Year? I didn’t know it was a tune, but it was a slightly misnamed 18 month period around 1958; I believe some of the early satellite launches were part of its program.

Donald Fagan lyrics.

*Get your ticket to that wheel in space
While there’s time
The fix is in
You’ll be a witness to that game of chance in the sky
You know we’ve got to win
Here at home we’ll play in the city
Powered by the sun
Perfect weather for a streamlined world
There’ll be spandex jackets one for everyone

What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free*

[Ponder_Stibbons]

Hah. I was just listening to IGY. Although Spectre does bring up a good point … what does that stand for? I’m Gointa Youterspace?

[Tuckerfan]

@Ponder Stibbons

Hah. I was just listening to IGY. Although Spectre does bring up a good point … what does that stand for? I’m Gointa Youterspace?

Internaional Geophysical Year. It was supposed to be a period highlighting scientific acheivement, but the Soviets stole the show with their Sputnik launch.