Dec 29, 2011 10:46 AM

Rocket Test Preparations - T Minus 20 Hours

Image may contain Plant Citrus Fruit Fruit Food Confectionery and Sweets

We are almost ready for the double test tomorrow, Dec 30, where we will be testing engines SAPPHIRE-1 and BIG-LES. More details about this open engine test can be seen here in a previous blog post.

The team behind active guidance for the SAPPHIRE-1 rocket, led by Flemming Nyboe, as well as Peter Madsen and the engine crew have been working hard to be ready with controllable jet vane rudders.

Busy workers at Copenhagen Suborbitals working the active guidance systems. Image: Thomas Pedersen

Flemming Rasmussen working the valve-plugs for the Launch Escape System LNOX oxidizer tank. Image: Thomas Pedersen

The four nozzles for Launch Espace System engine by Peter Madsen. Image: Kristian von Bengtson You will naturally see all data here at Wired.com after the test has been performed. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ad Astra Kristian von Bengtson

Kristian von Bengtson is a space-architect, former contractor for NASA and co-founder of Copenhagen Suborbitals. He is only satisfied if a challenge is close to impossible. ... Read More

Topicsrockets

In Orbit You Have to Slow Down to Speed Up

Driving a spacecraft around a planet isn’t anything like driving on a planet. A physicist explains orbital navigation.

Physicists Create a Thermometer for Measuring ‘Quantumness’

“Anomalous” heat flow, which at first appears to violate the second law of thermodynamics, gives physicists a way to detect quantum entanglement without destroying it.

How Do Metal Detectors Work?

What sneaky invisible forces enable these instruments to locate buried treasure?

The ‘10 Martini’ Proof Connects Quantum Mechanics With Infinitely Intricate Mathematical Structures

The proof, known to be so hard that a mathematician once offered 10 martinis to whoever could figure it out, uses number theory to explain quantum fractals.

How to Follow the Trajectory of Comet 3I/Atlas

The interstellar comet 3I/Atlas reached its closest point to the sun. Here's how to follow the rest of its journey away from our solar system.

Unpicking How to Measure the Complexity of Knots

Two mathematicians have proved that a straightforward question—how hard is it to untie a knot?—has a complicated answer.

Hurricane Melissa Has Meteorologists Terrified

The storm, which is set to make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, has stunned meteorologists with its intensity and the speed at which it built.

The First Radio Signal From Comet 3I/Atlas Ends the Debate About Its Nature

An observatory detected the first radio signal from the interstellar object 3I/Atlas. Here’s what it means.

The Hidden Math of Ocean Waves

The math behind even the simplest ocean waves is notoriously uncooperative. A team of Italian mathematicians has made major advances toward understanding it.

How Genes Have Harnessed Physics to Grow Living Things

The same pulling force that causes “tears” in a glass of wine also shapes embryos. It’s another example of how genes exploit mechanical forces for growth and development.

Climate Change Made Hurricane Melissa 4 Times More Likely, Study Suggests

Unusually warm ocean temperatures fueled one of the worst hurricanes on record. New research finds climate change increased the storm’s likelihood.

A Collision With Space Debris Leaves 3 Chinese Astronauts Stranded in Orbit

The only craft docked at Tiangong space station has been damaged and “does not meet the release conditions for a safe manned return.”