"T minus three ... we have ignition."

[unixronin]

In honor of the largest rocket ever built, the largest model rocket ever built, a 1/10-scale Saturn V, was recently launched from Price, Maryland. Video of the launch is available on YouTube, linked from that article.

You really want to sit and wait all the way to the end. Trust me on this. The slow-motion repeat at the end looks, and sounds, as close as we'll ever see again to the real thing outside of Hollywood movies. I have a hard time finding words for quite how I'm feeling right now.

Comments

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

There's a couple of different groups working on laser-launch ideas. The Lightcraft is another; it relies on laser power to heat air in a thrust chamber, iirc, to get thrust in-atmosphere without having to carry propellant. And there's things like Virgin Galactic.

I don't see any of these things becoming practical reality soon enough that I'll ever be able to afford to go into space, though, barring some really revolutionary development.