Geekfoolery

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Contact: Mollie Hand Steinke, SpeedUp        

            (307)460-3172 or (661)972-8673

 

SPEEDUP STILL IN THE RUNNING

Lunar Lander Prize money goes unclaimed

 

October 29, 2007 – Alamagordo, NM – SpeedUp, a Laramie-based rocket business, is poised to compete for unclaimed prize money in next year’s Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. Armadillo Aerospace, a competitor from Mesquite, TX, was this year’s only entrant, but their vehicle was not able to accomplish the required tasks.

The Laramie Rose, SpeedUp’s vehicle, was a few month’s away from being ready for the competition. “The hardware is complete,” said Bob Steinke, president of SpeedUp, “but there is still software development and testing to be done.”

The Lunar Lander Challenge requires vehicles to launch 50 meters, hover for a specified period of time, and land, then fly again to complete a round trip after refueling. Armadillo’s rocket was able to complete the first run in two different time slots out of four, but they experienced difficulties during the return flights. The last attempt ended with the engine ablaze, due to a hard start.

“Our monopropellant vehicle has almost no chance to have a hard start,” Steinke said. The Laramie Rose is designed to run on hydrogen peroxide alone eliminating the difficulty of mixing fuel and oxidizer that can lead to a hard start.

Two volunteers from the University of Wyoming College Of Engineering accompanied SpeedUp to Alamogordo, NM for last weekend’s event:  Jason Shankle of Rock Springs and Tim Read of Cheyenne.  “They gave us needed manpower for transporting the rocket and helped explain the rocket to people at our booth,” Steinke said.

SpeedUp displayed the Laramie Rose at the Holloman Air and Space Expo. Visitors from all over the world attended the expo.. “The booth was very well attended,” said Read. “We must have spoken to thousands of people.” The estimated total attendance over three days was 80,000.

Steinke is hopeful about the future, with $2 million still up for grabs. “It won’t take much to get to next year’s competition,” said Steinke. “We still need to raise more money, though.”

SpeedUp wishes to thank the volunteers, Frontier Astronautics, and its sponsors, including Laramie restaurant, Wingers.