back to article LOHAN invites ENTIRE REG READERSHIP to New Mexico shindig

Our Kickstarter campaign to take the Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) mission to Spaceport America in New Mexico is going tin-rattlingly well, but we still need a final drive to reach the target before we can start packing our bags. We've got plenty of goodies on offer as rewards for backers, and as an extra …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Mushroom

    This is a balloon launch, yes? But no spectators are practical, due to "safety reasons?" Just how dangerous IS this balloon? Is it liable to go off-course and have to be remotely detonated?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I guess they might still be using hydrogen for the balloon, though being in the good ol' US of A, helium would be more of a practical alternative. Especially considering the launch site is right next door to the Permian basin, from whence a lot of U.S. helium production comes.

    2. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

      So, we let unlimited people roll up, and we've got a kick-arse rocket motor in the Vulture which has to be armed on the ground, and there's no one on site to stop people wandering about....

      What could possibly go wrong?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Out of interest -- how can you stop people showing up?

        1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

          By simply not telling them exactly where the balloon launch is. It's not a question of depriving people of the opportunity - it's a complicated and likely stressful operation, and then there's the rocket motor hazard. It's really not a good idea to have folks milling about.

          In any case, live streaming on the interwebs should be entertainment enough.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Ahh - silly me. Simple answer.

            1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

              You see? A cunning non-disclosure plan.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Backed the launch.

                T-shirt size large please. And Tankard size extra large please.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Childcatcher

    I would go if there was an opportunity to see the launch!

    Not sure I would fly 1000 miles just to go to a beer bust with a bunch of techies though, even if I could meet playmonaut. You see, that kind of post-work hedonism never happens in Silicon Valley, and I wouldn't want to be thought of as bringing bachanalian outside influences into the restrained and respectful work environment we have here.

    1. Retro Man
      Pint

      Re: I would go if there was an opportunity to see the launch!

      Oh I don't know.

      For us back home in the lands of the floods, this would make a nice little break in the run up to Autumn. The weather looks incredible and the prices of hotels/motels in Las Cruces are equally good.

      Just have to find a cheap transatlantic carrier. Any chance of getting on the El Reg Charter flight ?

  3. VeganVegan
    Pint

    Where, in the middle of nowhere, can one get a cold* one?

    32.990362,-106.975121 Spaceport coords.

    *The US of A, where beer is served ice-cold.

    But, then, if it is daytime, just walk outside into the desert, and the beer will warm up in a hurry.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Where, in the middle of nowhere, can one get a cold* one?

      >just walk outside into the desert, and the beer will warm up in a hurry.

      Its all relative. Yes to a Brit it would be hot but then again they often like their ale warm anyway. To most people in Southern Arizona though Southern New Mexico this time of year has perfect weather with a 10 to 20 degree Fahrenheit drop.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Where, in the middle of nowhere, can one get a cold* one?

        Lager needs to be chilled. As do fizzy drinks. Not beer(s and ales). Like Hobgoblin ad says...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Flame

          Re: Where, in the middle of nowhere, can one get a cold* one?

          "Lager needs to be chilled. As do fizzy drinks. Not beer(s and ales)."

          Not in Europe, true. I spent two years in Germany and had my share of warm ones. However, when the desert sun is beating down like a hammer to an anvil and you are between, it's vitally important to reduce your core temp in any way possible. Should you ever be in that situation, you will be eternally grateful that your beer has sweat on it, just like you do.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Where, in the middle of nowhere, can one get a cold* one?

      "But, then, if it is daytime, just walk outside into the desert, and the beer will warm up in a hurry."

      Ah, but it's a dry heat. My experience has been that an open beer exposed to the AZ/NM desert will typically have a half-life of about 12 seconds, with only a small fraction of the loss attributable to evaporation. Thus heating will have little time to occur.

  4. This post has been deleted by its author

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