The KC Space Pirates is a team entered in the 2008 Space Elevator games climber competition. The competition is put on by the Spaceward Foundation
NASA has put up a total of two million dollars in prize money!!
The competition is, in summary, a vertical drag race straight up a 1 kilometer cable. We must climb the cable with no fuel or batteries. The climbers are unmanned, and may only be powered by beamed energy. We did well last year but fell short of the money. The competition is developing technology to make it possible for everyone to go to space.
For more information visit Spaceward.org or visit their FAQ pages to learn more about the competition and the space elevator in general.
|
|
|
Dear fans,
We are on our way!
Well we have throughly studied the challenge for 2008 and although it is 10 times higher than last year we have a plan.
The challenge is now 1 Km (5/8th Mile) high at 2 meters per second for $900,000. Plus they have added a bonus level of 5 meters per second and thrown in another 1.1 million for that. So with 2 million on the line and second place in 2007 under our belts we begin the work for 2008.
We have concluded that to be competitive in 2008 we will need a laser. A scary big laser.
The good news is that Trumpf Laser is excited about the competition and is donating the use of the laser nessessary to win this competition. The bad news is that making this happen is still not cheap.
We need to get started immediately. We need to purchase a testing laser for about $3500, a video camera setup for about $1000 and put in the $1000 entry fee. So I am putting out an initial call for $5,500 and will be contacting supporters from last year. This will let my team members get started while we raise the rest of the funds.
If your interested in supporting us this year please click on the "Contact" button at the top of this page and let us know or make a donation by clicking the PayPal "Donate" button.
Brian
|
|
The Conan Show was a big hit. I managed not to choke and remained
rather articulate through the 5 min interview. We did not however get
to cover the competition, the team or the sponsors. They were on the
list but I had no idea how fast time would fly. I felt that I was on
for only 30 seconds. We clearly managed to inform thousands of viewers
about the space elevator and raise awareness.
I saw a big jump in web site visitors but only received 1 small
donation. The show will be re-run at least once so even more may come
of it. I will keep you posted.
You can go watch the video on the NBC site if you missed it.
We mechanically steered an beam! It was just a laser pointer and only
in 1 dimension. Still it is a small but significant step in our mission.
We are planning to go to the ISDC (International Space Development
Conference) in Washington DC at the end of this month. I plan on
meeting with potential supporters there and hopefully securing the
funds needed for the rest of this year.
|
|
|
