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Danish Rocket Men Eye Manned Space Launch (and Record Books)

by Matt Evans on August 24, 2010 at 05:10 PM

HEAT1X-TYCHO BRAHE rocket
Nearly forty years after Yuri Gagarin became the first person in outer space, Denmark is set to become the fourth nation ever to put a man into orbit (following Russia, the U.S., and China). More importantly, however, they are doing it without government funding, and, if successful, will be the first nation in history to do so.

The team, the Copenhagen Suborbitals, is made up of Danish volunteers and funded entirely by sponsorships and donations. Kristian von Bengston and Peter Madsen, the leaders of the operation, set out to build a rocket that would launch a Danish citizen into a suborbital altitude of 150,000 meters (approximately 93 miles). Now complete, the HEAT1X-TYCHO BRAHE rocket will see its first flight on August 31st, although a test dummy will strap in for the inaugural run. If all goes well, the vessel will be boarded by a flesh and blood human on September 13th, but there's no word as to who this will be. The lucky participant will have to stand, and will only be able to move their arms in maneuvering a camera. Of course, the Suborbitals are documenting their preparations on their website, YouTube channel and on the SomethingAwful forums.

Tags: astronaut, astronauts, copenhagen, denmark, DIY, flight, outer space, OuterSpace, rockets, space, spacecraft, suborbital, suborbital space flight, SuborbitalSpaceFlight, top

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