Sci-Tech
Is it a missile, or a human cannonball? No, it’s the world’s tiniest space craft
Two Danes are planning to be launched into space, in what can only be described as a very large missile. Instead of carrying a warhead, it houses a human being, standing upright inside. This is apparently to save weight and money, as astronauts are usually fired into space lying on their backs, which takes up room. However, not only is Peter Madsen and Kristian von Bengtson's Tycho Brache 1 the smallest manned spacecraft ever (assuming they ever summon the courage to actually do a space flight), it has a plexiglass window, shaped like the blue top of R2D2, so that the astronaut can have an unimpeded view of his or her rapidly-approaching doom when the rocket falls out of the sky. Yes, rocketists have expressed reservations about the craft. Madness or genius? That question will be answered once Madsen or von Bengtson try their invention out. Read more: New Scientist.
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