After those lads sent their lego into space the other day and various ipods and ipads going up to heaven and back, I have a question.
Do you need permission to send your stuff up there? What if it flies in front of a jumbo and get sucked into the engines? Isn't there restricted flight paths etc?
Jumbo jets don't fly into space, last I checked.
There is a monumental amount of space debris in orbit round our little rock. It's a ticking time bomb, really.
Just read the link. Pretty cool, but why didn't they send a Lego astronaut?
I know that clever clogs, but it still has to pass through airspace that jumbo's use right? They don't umm magically jump from earth to orbit...
Not sure...
...but there's sending stuff into space and sending it into orbit, two entirely different things. To send something into space, it offically needs to go beyond a certain altitude, however it's still subject to gravity and will thus come back down again.
To send something into orbit, it needs to be travelling at 18,000mph give or take a couple of miles per whatsit. Again, it'll most likely come down again in time, depending on how far out into space it is.
It's a ticking time bomb, really.
Have you read El Reg's PARIS (Paper Aircraft Released Into Space) project?
Quite cool really.
I know that clever clogs, but it still has to pass through airspace that jumbo's use right? They don't umm magically jump from earth to orbit...
True enough.
I know back when I was into model rocketry, you were safe to fly anything up to a "D" engine without notifying anyone. Beyond a D required explosive licences and I think was also the point where you had to start notifying the Civil Aviation Authority (though it might've been higher).
Hm, or maybe not.
http://www.gbnet.net/orgs/staar/legal.html
Whilst there are no legal guidelines laid down by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In the case of the larger rockets, or those which are designed for very high altitude, it is also advisable to contact the nearest airport Air Traffic Control, to notify them that you are launching rockets. They can then decide whether they need to issue a NOTAM to pilots in the area.
(NOTAM = 'notice to airmen')
So, you 'should' tell someone but you're not legally obliged to.
Yeah, I guess there might be a distinction between the power of the object and how far it's going. I just imagined that if I was controlling the airspace I'd quite like to know what was going in and out of it..
Essentially these recreational astronauts are using weather balloons? Are they notifiable?
edit just seen cougars reply. good find.
If true, that's actually quite scary, next time you are flying across the UK you might crash into a teenagers science project and die..
There's details on NOTAM here.
It is a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) requirement that all air users should be advised of unusual air activities that might be hazardous. This includes model rocket launches. The process for notifying air users is called the "Notice to Airmen" or NOTAM. This appendix tells you how to request a NOTAM.
Basically, it says "email us 28 days before launch and you're golden."
My favourite "lob stuff into (or near) space" video - (FFWD to 2:50 and 7:05)
Is this in any way related to the 'TJ goes into orbit' tag that often appears on posts?
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