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Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Vehicles

James Doohan’s Son Speaks Up Poignantly About Failed SpaceX Rocket Flight

8:15PM Kit Eaton | As you know by now, SpaceX’s most recent rocket launch attempt failed early in its flight, destroying the vehicle and sending its satellite payload and the ashes of James Doohan—Star Trek’s original Scotty— into the ocean. It’s just what happens sometimes with space technology: there’s so much complexity, so much technology/aerodynamics/engine chemistry and engineering that just has to work perfectly, in sync and under high stress. And that’s a point that is elegantly detailed by one of James’ sons in a letter to BoingBoing about the SpaceX launch. It makes for poignant reading. More »
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Monday, August 4, 2008
Vehicles

Update: Exploding Falcon 1 Rocket Scattered Scotty’s Ashes All Over the Pacific!

6:15AM Jack Loftus | Holy shit, the Space X guys just scattered Scotty’s ashes all over the Pacific Ocean. As in, “beam me up, Scotty” actor James Doohan. From Star Trek the Original Series! Turns out Scotty–er, Doohan–was one of the 208 people whose ashes were placed on board the Falcon 1 rocket by Celestis, Inc., a company that arranges for loved ones’ ashes to be shot into space. Astronaut Gordon Cooper was also aboard the doomed launch, which Celestis had dubbed the “Explorer’s Flight.” I’m no rocket scientist (hell, I’m barely a blogger), but I think they might want to rename the flight something else, considering what happened to the Falcon 1 late last night. More »
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