Cinderella didn't show up, but New Space's party raged on anyway. Most insiders, prior to last weekend's X Prize Cup '07, had a fairytale ending in mind: Doom creator John Carmack's Armadillo Aerospace would win the Northrup Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, and bring home as much as $1.35 million.
But Armadillo's cute little (not un-pumpkin-like) homemade rocket Mod-1 didn't carry Carmack to his reward. Instead, the little rocket that couldn't (at least while everyone was watching) flamed, crashed and scrubbed, failing to complete its mission after one very close miss.
But Mod-1's failure -- which surprised those who had seen it fly well in tests -- wasn't really the big story in Alamogordo, New Mex., where the X Prize Cup took place. Instead, it was the robustness of the New Space scene: the many indie rocket companies that showed up, the venture capitalists that at least feigned enthusiasm, and the sweet kanoodling that some of the giant space entities, particularly Northrop Grumman and NASA, did with the little guys. The Establishment and the Rebels spent all kinds of quality time in close proximity -- at the Executive Summit, numerous parties and inside the Red Bull Lounge, which afforded insiders a front-row view of the flight line, along with decent barbecue and an open bar.
Indie companies promoted their advances: Rocketplane's new design and a spacesuit prototype; the announcement of first flightof the craft that may turn Rocket Racing League into the new NASCAR; the camaraderie of the emerging (or, more accurately, reconstituted) DIY rocket movement. These lo-fi engineers chatted happily off in their corner of the enormous Holloman Air Force Base, while the USAF showed off its arsenal to an estimated 80,000 -- a nearly six-fold increase in attendance from X Prize Cup 2006.
Those spoiled by modern sporting events, with their photo-finishes, instant replays and neat endings, might not have been hooked on rocketry. Seeing, from nearly mile or so away, Mod-1's flame out on a hazy Jumbotron didn't translate into Super Bowl-quality entertainment (for this Yankee fan, it was, however, far more gratifying than a Red Sox sweep). But Carmack and the other rocketeers, like Goddard and Von Braun before them, are venturing into new territory.
Maybe, this time next year, we'll realize it was a good thing that Armadillo didn't complete its Cinderella story. Come X Prize 2008, expect more competitors showing off rockets with more advanced engineering. It'll be a much more interesting dance.
(photo credit: Chris Jonas)
