Skywatch: Watch the sky
Skywatch: Watch the sky
By: Dale hawkins
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Posted by editor Mon Oct 16, 2006 14:19:44 PDT
Viewed 337 times
0 responses 0 comments All of us are aware of the efforts at the Mojave Spaceport and elsewhere to develop spacecraft that will allow the average person to take a short ride into space for a reasonable fare. So far, only a couple of test pilots have made the journey, but when the day comes that flights are made several time a day, we'll need commercial pilots with an astronaut rating. Where will these pilots come from? And what if you're a pilot who wants to add “Astronaut” to your certificate? Believe me, there are thousands in this category, including me.
Enter Black Sky Training, Inc. Their 21-day resident program will provide ground training, simulator training, power-off landings in high-performance aircraft, and four suborbital space flights. Three of the flights are with an instructor. The final flight is on your own, and will earn you the coveted astronaut wings. If they are successful, all of this can be yours for a mere $350,000 (a bargain compared to the going rate of $20 million for a joyride on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft).
Black Sky Flight, Inc., is a start-up company headquartered in Orlando, Fla. Their Chief Executive Officer, George Tyson, and Senior Operations Officer, Bryan Athan, were in Mojave this month to visit XCOR, whom they have tapped to build their spacecraft, as well as to visit with the spaceport management with an eye to making the Mojave Spaceport their base of operation. Tyson said that New Mexico and Florida are also keen on becoming the center of commercial spaceflight training, but Mojave is their first choice. Spaceport manager Stu Witt has been very supportive of their initiative.
They brought with them a marvelous simulator that allowed me to take off from Mojave, blast straight up toward space on rocket power, and glide back in for landing. It was very realistic and exciting. Should they bring their simulator back this way, I'll be sure to let you know so that you, too, can get a taste of spaceflight. Meanwhile, you pilots out there should start saving your loose change for your astronaut wings.
You can learn more about them at www.orbitalcommerceproject.com.
Aviation Watch - Edwards Air Force Base Air Show.
Edwards Air Force Base is hosting an open house and air show on the weekend of Oct. 28 and 29, featuring the Air Force's Thunderbirds demonstration team. The gates open at 7 a.m. and flying starts at 10 a.m., beginning with a sonic boom to commemorate Chuck Yeager's first supersonic flight. (I've heard it said that the first sonic boom was actually over Tehachapi. I plan to interview General Yeager about that in the coming weeks.). There will be continuous flying acts, plenty of vintage and futuristic aircraft, lots to eat and drink and plenty of aerospace stuff to buy.
Security will, of course, be tight. Visit the air show website at http://www.edwards.af.mil/o... for a list of prohibited items and activities.
Night Sky Watch
We are approaching a new moon late on Saturday, Oct. 2l, leaving us with dark skies for excellent astronomy this week (weather permitting).
Most of the planets are now on the other side of the sun, but Saturn is getting easier to find in the eastern sky before dawn as it gets higher in the sky each day. By the end of October, Saturn will rise shortly after midnight.
The Orionid Meteor Shower peaks on Oct. 21 as the earth passes through dust left behind by Halley's Comet. With the moon out of sight, it should be a fine show, with up to 20 meteors per hour. The Orionids have been known to surprise us with a burst of activity several days early and can bring us meteors anytime in October and early November. The best time to view a meteor shower is after midnight, so be prepared to bundle up well and bring plenty of hot chocolate.
Sunrise/Sunset (PDT)
7:03 AM/6:14 PM
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