A DIY Space Suit?!

Here is Cameron M. Smith. Cameron wanted to fly for the Airforce, but had bad eyesight. Cameron sat his sights on the edge of space, but like the rest of the 99%ers, he could not afford the astronomical price tag. What is an inner child to do? You build your own space suit. Instead of a rocket you build a big balloon to take you to the edge of space!

Now at 50,000 feet there is very little air. Exposure here is deadly, so if you build a space-suit, it can not be some silver jumpsuit with a play helmet, but something that will keep you alive in an extremely dangerous environment.

But even so, Cameron's parts list sound a bit Rube Goldbergish. a diver’s dry suit, an aquarium pump, nylon straps, wire, PVC fittings and valves topped off by a 1980s-era soviet fighter helmet.

Cameron says that this suit is a "proof of concept" which he will test in a hypobaric chamber.

According to the Wired article:

• if all goes well it will be rebuilt with sturdier elements.

Then the next challenge is building the balloon that will take him there.

There is more, click the article title for the complete Wired article

DIY Kit Puts Satellites Into Orbit for $8,000

Now here is something that has just GOT to get you excited if you are the least bit interested in space. Tim Sayell sends me an article from Discovery.com that details how you can get your own personal satellite into Earth orbit for $8,000! That's right, not 8 million or 800,000 but for the price of a not so hot used car!

Now I know the first thing you are thinking is that the satellite cost 8 grand....how much to launch it? Fair question...launching any satellite into orbit is one of the more costly item. But that's 8,000....ah ha! you think, now we are up to 16 grand....nope...8,000 total. You get the bare satellite (circuit boards, solar cells, batteries, a combination transmitter-receiver, microcomputer, electronic components, blueprints and a structural shell that's about the size of a one-liter bottle.) and a launch for 8,000 period! Getting excited yet?

The program, called TubeSat and enthusiasm has been overwhelming Interorbital Systems' ceo Randa Milliron told Discovery.

Interorbital Systems will begin the first of four suborbital test flights of it's Neptune rocket, in August - people are so anxious to fly that I.S. sold customers space even on the test flights.