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Virgin Galactic may attempt a rocket-powered test flight next week
Virgin Galactic plans to do the first rocket-powered test flight of its VSS Unity spacecraft from its freshly christened Spaceport America facility in New Mexico as early as next week.
Watch a rocket-powered bicycle outrun a supercar
You probably don't think of bicycles as speed demons, but Arnold Nearcher and François Gissy would beg to differ. They've respectively developed and raced a rocket-powered bike that just broke a world speed record for the vehicle class, hitting a brisk 207MPH. It's not the fastest two-wheeler of any kind, but the acceleration (maximum speed arrives in five seconds) is enough to put supercars to shame. As you'll see in the video below, the machine can outrun a light-yet-powerful Ferrari F430 Scuderia without breaking a sweat. Given the dangers involved, you won't be riding a rocket bike on your daily commute any time soon. Still, it's an impressive feat -- think of it as poetic justice for every time a motorist has cut you off while you're pedaling down the street.
XCOR's Lynx aims to enter space tourism business in 2010
Crazy though it may be, XCOR's looming Lynx isn't the first rocket ship built to take Earthlings to outer space, but it's definitely taking a different approach than that of the SpaceShipTwo. Unveiled as the "sports car of commercial spaceflight," the smallish craft is only designed to carry two individuals (or a driver and cargo), meaning that you and your SO will have to take turns shooting up to some 61-kilometers above the ground. Reportedly, Lynx would be fueled by a kerosene / liquid oxygen mixture and could take off and land from traditional airstrips, and while it could manage several flights per day, each one is only slated to last 25 minutes. Sadly, the $64,000 (likely more, actually) question of how much this joyride will cost has yet to be answered, but optimistic minds are hoping to see test flights commence in 2010.[Via NewScientist]
