I am a contestant for the M-Prize challenge

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the M-Prize Competition, which challenges contestants to design a spacecraft capable of reaching an altitude of at least 100 km and orbiting Earth nine times, all within a budget of $3500. Participants share their experiences, ideas, and challenges related to the competition, including technical aspects of rocket design and humorous takes on the feasibility of their projects.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants describe their plans for the M-Prize, including the use of liquid fuel and the rockoon concept for launching rockets.
  • Others express skepticism about the feasibility of completing the challenge within the budget, citing high costs associated with fuel and materials.
  • Several posts introduce humor and sarcasm regarding the competition, with some participants suggesting that the challenge is too easy or mocking the idea of space travel on a minimal budget.
  • A participant shares the official rules of the M-Prize, emphasizing the importance of adhering to the spirit of the challenge and the potential for rule amendments.
  • Some participants question the seriousness of the competition, suggesting it may be a joke or a spoof.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is no consensus among participants; some take the competition seriously while others express doubt about its feasibility or question its legitimacy. Multiple competing views remain regarding the seriousness of the challenge and the practicality of the proposed projects.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various technical and logistical challenges, including the high costs of materials and the complexity of rocket design. There are also references to the potential for loopholes in the competition rules, which could affect compliance and eligibility.

  • #181
Where do you suggest I move the thread to guy's?

M
 
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  • #182
monroelkjr said:
I see that and hopefully that's over with for the most part. Just so we get the record straight all the money is spent in legal fees and for the property at the launch site. Once this is all done a typical launch cost us about $30.000 and the typical payload is a cubesat that weighs about 10lbs. We would love to use liquid fuel but the square cube law may prevent it. I'm not saying that’s impossible just not likely. We can make our own fuel grains (what rocket guy's call the propellant) they are hollow and burn from the inside out as stated. Our grains are in a finocyl configuration (shaped like a star) to provide more surface area than a "Bates" design that’s just a plain boar cylinder. This increases the specific Impulse and the rate of burn. I won’t boar you with nozzle design right now. Staging solid fuel rockets is very tricky, but not impractical. We do plan to develop liquid fuel for a little larger payload. Right now I'm making an Injector for a fella that’s testing a new pump design. We are making parts for Richard Nakka and the SS2S mission as well. Rick Maschek is one of the rocket guy’s doing 100Kft launches he’s on our team so there’s some of that here too. We have a meteorologist and a fella at NASA working with us as well.

M

I'm going to see Steve Eves launch his Saturn V on the 25th.
 
  • #184
Steve Did a great job! Very nicely done. Did you notice it landed standing up that was a rush!

Monroe
 
  • #185
monroelkjr said:
Steve Did a great job! Very nicely done. Did you notice it landed standing up that was a rush!

Monroe

I was there, I have a whole thread on it too!
 
  • #187
Here is some Video of the "Quad Pod II" by one of the Team Members Dave Hien! Ever see a solid rocket hover?

http://www.teamprometheus.org/QuadPod.html

There is My Corona Ion Engine in the blog also have a look!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #188
We recovered our Near Space Expedition I photos and Video! The first picture is here: http://www.teamprometheus.org/NearSpace.html
I will be updating as the video is processed thrue the night. The video footage will be last. The payload was recovered by a farmer in his field.

2 more missions and we launch a rocket from right here!

Monroe
Team Prometheus
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #189
monroelkjr said:
We recovered our Near Space Expedition I photos and Video! The first picture is here: http://www.teamprometheus.org/NearSpace.html
I will be updating as the video is processed thrue the night. The video footage will be last. The payload was recovered by a farmer in his field.

2 more missions and we launch a rocket from right here!

Monroe
Team Prometheus
Thanks for the update, Monroe. Good luck with your project!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #191
Redbelly98 said:
I read that a private company started launching rockets commercially yesterday. People who have been taking part in this thread may be interested:

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=2271283

Wow.

That company is impressive. Considering Space X was established in 2002, they just might put NASA out of business at the pace they are going.
 

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