DailyDirt: Cheaper Rockets Taking Off

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Rocket science is difficult, but as technology gets better, it looks like more and more people are capable of launching pretty powerful rockets. Private companies are semi-routinely shooting satellites into space, and that capability could be useful for all kinds of applications ranging from scientific exploration... to intercontinental missiles. If hobbyist drones seem like a problem now, wait until more hobbyist rockets are launching into space.

• New Zealand-based Rocket Lab has a partially 3D-printed rocket engine scheduled to launch later this year. Its Electron rocket powered by 9 Rutherford rocket engines can get small satellites into orbit -- for just $5 million (versus a $60 million SpaceX rocket or even more expensive competitors). [url]
• NASA has successfully tested several components of a 3D-printed rocket engine, and it's well on the way to making an entire rocket engine from 3D printed parts. Nearly every rocket maker is using 3D printed parts -- SpaceX uses additive manufacturing for its Merlin rocket engines, and more traditional aerospace giants are no strangers to 3D printing. [url]
• The Portland State Aerospace Society (PSAS) is a student organization that has already launched an amateur rocket 3 miles high. We've mentioned other student rocket projects before (USC reached an altitude of 4 miles a while ago), and the Civilian Space eXploration Team (CSXT) made it to 72 miles up in 2004. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: 3d printing, civilian space exploration team, csxt, portland state aerospace society, rockets, space, space exploration, usc
Companies: nasa, rocket lab, spacex, ula

DailyDirt: Rockets, Man

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

International space races don't quite inspire the same awe or fear as they did in the 1960s. There are a bunch of countries still trying to launch rockets into orbit for various reasons, but there are also quite a few commercial and amateur organizations working on space-worthy rockets. Here are just a few examples.

• North Korea tried to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of its national founder Kim Il-sung with a big rocket launch. The rocket was also a thinly-disguised test for a long-range missile, but it failed by blowing up a little over a minute after launching. [url]
• The world’s first student-made rocket to hit space hasn't quite succeeded in reaching an altitude of 100 km, but there are a number of schools working on it. A pass or fail grade for this project seems like tough grading... [url]
• SpaceX is working on designing safer and cheaper manned spacecraft, anticipating an upcoming boom in commercial space ventures. For example, its launch abort system has integrated escape thrusters mounted to the side of the crew capsule, and these engines aren't jettisoned or wasted if the mission goes as planned. [url]
• To discover more links on space exploration, check out what's floating around in StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can also recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Filed Under: north korea, rockets, space, spacecraft, usc
Companies: spacex

Court Says U Of Southern California Only One Who Can Use USC; Sorry U Of South Carolina

from the trademark-madness dept

DEF points us to a recent appeals court (federal circuit) ruling that held that the University of South Carolina cannot use the letters USC on its sports uniforms because the University of Southern California already claims those letters. Seriously. It's hard to see how this makes much sense at all. USC is an accurate acronym for both schools, and it makes no sense to limit it. In an amazingly obnoxious gloating victory note, the lawyer for the USC from California "suggested that the letters were more deservedly linked to the Trojans' warrior image than to 'a goofy little chicken,'" by which he meant the logo of the South Carolina teams. The lawyer for the USC from the east coast noted that "Southern manners" kept him from responding to that point.

Filed Under: south carolina, southern california, trademark, usc

Record Labels Disobey Court Order On How Student Info Can Be Used

from the this-is-a-surprise? dept

Ray Beckermann points us to the news that in a lawsuit involving various record labels against some USC students, the record labels asked the court to help identify the students -- which the court granted on the condition that the only use of the student info would be to seek injunctive relief (i.e., get them to stop file sharing) rather than monetary relief. However, as LAist is reporting, it only took a few months for the record labels to, instead, demand money via a typical pre-settlement letter, that demands thousands of dollars to get the RIAA and labels to not sue you. This certainly appears to be contempt of court, going in direct contrast to the judge's order.

Filed Under: court order, injunctive relief, riaa, usc

Online Journalism Review Goes Offline

from the that's-too-bad dept

I don't know for how long, but for many years I've read the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication's Online Journalism Review. It's regularly hosted a bunch of interesting, informative and thought provoking articles on the challenges of moving a newspaper into the online world. And, now, with no warning or explanation, it appears that USC is shutting down the effort. It seems strange that at this moment in time, just as newspapers are finally starting to figure out that they really need a more thorough and complete online strategy beyond "put our stories online and slap ads on them" that USC would shut down such a useful resource. Too bad.

Filed Under: annenberg, journalism, online journalism review, usc