Armadillo Aerospace X cup prize

[Sxotty]

Well they have finished the first leg.
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/x_cup_prize_2007/index.html

Pixel flew 50 meters straight up, 100 meters laterally and 50 meters down, spending 90 seconds in the air. Now, after a refuel, it must return to where it started, a concrete slab in the middle of the Sonoran desert on the Holloman Air Force Base. If it lands successfully, the team will soon be holding up one of those giant cardboard checks, made out for $350,000.

Hopefully they can make the trip back now.

 

[Sxotty]

Oh well they failed again

 

[Zaphod]

Well: Landing seems to be a problem...

I'm surprised they're actually competing considering they crashed their primary test vehicle just two months ago (video linked above, there's a long technical explanation of what went wrong on their site).

 

[nutball]

Looks like they've got some issues with their attitude control software! Even before they tried the landing I was watching the slowly growing amplitude of the gyratory action and just thinking ... that thing's not going to live.

 

[Zaphod]

Looks like they've got some issues with their attitude control software!

Exactly!

That crash was like: "Yo, Carmack! You don't go putting me down man! I'm not your biatch, and I'm sick of you trying to control me all the time. I'm so outta' here! Watch me SOAR... Oh, fuc..." *fireball* [curtain]

Sorry...

 

[Sxotty]

Looks like they've got some issues with their attitude control software! Even before they tried the landing I was watching the slowly growing amplitude of the gyratory action and just thinking ... that thing's not going to live.

If you read what they said happened I don't know if it was the software. It seems the chamber was degraded and the fuel was burning erratically. They were holding it low so when it hit the ground it would be salvageable. Personally considering what happened I think they made a big mistake and should have just kept it up high until the 90 seconds passed then hoped the landing worked...Anyway it must be disappointing after all the hype saying they would win that section and how many times they have completed the exact same procedure to fail when it actually counts...