A Personal Launch Into Space

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DrInfinityPLUSOne

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Let's have fun for a little bit here....

Suppose we have a person that has dreamed of going into space for their entire life. Space Tourism is now opening up but the cost is more than he can afford and/or his wife will let him spend. Now, this person is very knowledgeable in liquid propulsion systems, electromechanical systems, machining/fabrication, and just good old fashioned, home-cooked engineering. After having sent his 4th liquid rocket to altitudes around 25 miles, he realized that he was carrying payloads that neared the weight of a human. With a couple additional engines and a huge modification to the payload bay, he realized that he could send someone to space on a high risk, single-string, painful, ride aboard this rocket.

The question then becomes, if this man has this rocket and the remote facilities to launch himself to space and land safely with a parachute, should he, or should he not, launch himself in October of 2011?

Dr. Infinity + 1
 
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Yuri_Armstrong

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Don't you have to get some sort of permit from the FAA to allow you to launch people into space?
 
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SteveCNC

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Yeah the FAA controls airspace below what was it 50,000 ft ? So you might need clearance and such to do it legally although while this rocket could lift that much payload how many G's are being pulled in the process ? Astronauts are in a reclined position to minimize blackout conditions during launch plus of course it's way easier on the body , is your payload bay big enough for a nice lazyboy ?
 
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Shpaget

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Why October 2011? :?
And why the "should or should not" part?

Also to carry a human into space your rocket must be capable of lifting more than just the weight of a human, there is a lot of life support equipment involved, plus the reentry mechanisms.

As for the FAA and regulations, why would that be a problem? You just file a flight plan and it's ATCs worry to provide you with a launch window. Or you pick a location where there is no airspace authority agency involved.
 
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samkent

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As many adults have learned from years of life experience. If you have to ask and wait for permission you are likely get it done.
I remember when I started building my house there was this water pipe running through the middle of where my house was to be. I located the owner and informed him he was off his allowed easement and needed to move his pipe. The answer I go back was “No the pipe has been there for 15 years and had the right to remain.”. I could plead with him or I could go the legal route. One wouldn’t have worked and the other would have taken time and money. I chose the third option. I cut the pipe and proceeded to move it out of the way myself. It was amazing how agreeable he became after his wife and children discovered they had no water. He even covered the expenses.

As an adult this person has to decide for himself if the risk is worth the reward. Men do these things. Check the Darwin awards, it seems that most of them are men. Does he have people depending on him? Wife and children are the two biggest show stoppers. How would it affect Jr. to know that his dad blew himself up in a bottle rocket? A single l male with no children can afford to live a bit more on the risky side.
But if he does decide to proceed here’s my thoughts.
I’m not sure if I would change any of the paperwork procedure from what I was already doing. If you were to let it slip out that the payload was to be a mammal it would raise the eyebrows of a few people and more questions are sure to follow. If you were tell the truth about launching a human you can be sure you would be stopped. Within 24 hrs there would be suits removing hardware and computers and documents for “investigating”. They would do more than pull the plug. They would remove the cord and anything attached to it.
As to the increased payload bay I would come up with an experiment that needed the larger volume. Then launch one to test the configuration and deflect questioning eyes. Then go ahead and strap yourself in. It’s not like the authorities would know if the payload was science or Sam. But remember once the public becomes aware you launched yourself so will the authorities. Then it will be unlikely you will ever be able to launch anything ever again.

If it comes off post the videos it will be a big kick in the butt for private space companies.
 
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