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back to article DRAMA at 75,000 FEET: Our Playmonaut's TERROR PLUNGE from EDGE of SPACE

We're delighted to report that our plucky Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) playmonaut pilot is safe and well, following his dramatic rescue yesterday from a Spanish mountainside. What started as a routine test flight of the igniter for our Vulture 2 spaceplane's rocket motor, launched in perfect conditions southwest …

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  1. Ragarath

    I'm actually glad!

    For purely selfish reasons that I got back to late to watch the live footage.

    I can now attempt to watch it again. Glad the playmonaut is ok.

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  2. Parax

    Why no Rockblock iridium comms for GPS coords? surely you can make life easier on yourselves!

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

      RockBlock's in reserve for the emergency cut-down, so it didn't fly this time.

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  3. NoneSuch Silver badge

    One can only hope...

    The Reg has sufficient funds to pay for proper counseling for our brave Playmonaut to handle any PTSD. Don't want to see him snap on a later mission for the sake of a few bob.

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    1. Charlie Clark Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Pint

      Re: One can only hope...

      pah! A night on the lash and he'll be right as rain and begging for more. This is one of Blighty's finest we're talking about! He's probably already plans on overtaking Voyager 1!

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    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: counselling for our brave Playmonaut?

      Ha! Ask them about that poor bear! But they don't want you to know that he can no longer stand by himself and requires constant cuddling by a small child. The bear's lucky: who's going to cuddle a stressed-out playmonaut?

      It's just like the IT industry: work them hard, burn them out and chuck them out.

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  4. Anonymous Custard
    Thumb Up

    Spectacular

    Those are beautiful images, both the near-to-ground ones and especially the altitude ones of the Earth curvature (even at "only" 23,000ft). Looking forward to tomorrow's fun, although if work's p(r)oxy servers act as they did last time it'll be commentard-feed only as the images went as AWOL as a swimming Playmonaut.

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    1. Neil Barnes Silver badge
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      Re: Spectacular

      I hate to break it to you, but the curvature is mostly due to the wide-angle lens...

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      1. Anonymous Custard
        Reply Icon

        Re: Spectacular

        @Neil - still doesn't stop them looking nice though, even if somewhat artificial :)

        But nice effort all round to the whole team (present and absent)

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      2. Roger Stenning
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        Happy

        Re: Spectacular

        Rock on, the Flat Earth Society ;-)

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    2. wilber
      Reply Icon

      Re: Spectacular

      They are good images, however I suspect the curvature is a result the lens used, as it is the same at ground level.

      Apologies if that burst your balloon.

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    3. KBeee
      Reply Icon

      Re: Spectacular

      That's "only" 23,000 metres, not feet

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  5. JimmyPage Silver badge
    Alien

    Is that Spain

    or Mars ?

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Is that Spain

      There's more to Spain that Benidorm and Torremolinos.

      Personally I think the moon landings were shot here and I wouldn't be surprised if the Mars rover was knocking about somewhere.

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  6. Steve Hersey

    So, was there a parachute deployment?

    Since you planned on a balloon-burst at a set altitude (and the rig wasn't pulverized on impact with Terra Firma), there must be a parachute arrangement for the balloon payload. Did it function as expected?

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    1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge
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      Re: So, was there a parachute deployment?

      Yes, parachute was fine.

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  7. Peter Simpson 1
    Black Helicopters

    Well done!

    The dashcam was a teriffic idea. Sorry we missed the hike, though.

    Best of luck on the second mission.

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  8. Michael Strorm Silver badge

    Rover?!

    Looks like this was meant to be Rover's big comeback...

    http://regmedia.co.uk/2013/09/17/lohan_launch.jpg

    Sad to say he was clearly too old to make it all the way up. Poor thing hasn't been the same since Patrick McGoohan died... if it had still been 1967, he'd have chased you menacingly all the way along that beach then squashed you, just like the old days.

    Er, seriously... impressive stuff, though, look forward to the video!

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  9. Scott Pedigo

    Did the burst balloon remain attached and act as a drogue chute to slow down the fall of the assembly?

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  10. ISYS
    Happy

    The link to 'best practices for an Active Directory migration' under a series of photos of a lonely trek through the wilderness made me smile.

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  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What, no radio drones?

    I'm mildly disappointed that you didn't have a remote control or autonomous aircraft to do the searching for the downed vessel, rather than trying to do it from ground level and suffering from all that inconvenient geography.

    Possibly your fancy new iridum toys might eliminate some or all of the need for such things, however.

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  12. John Sager

    Same launch point?

    Or is that a function of the wind forecast on the day?

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  13. Daedalus

    For a few dollars more....

    Next time do the hike in ponchos, jeans and cowboy boots. Six guns are optional.

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    1. John Sager
      Reply Icon

      Re: For a few dollars more....

      A Fistful of Travellers Cheques is the training video...

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  14. Spoonsinger
    Childcatcher

    A big vanilla ice cream for the playmonaut!

    What?, really?, urghhh!

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  15. C. P. Cosgrove
    Pint

    Have one on me !

    Superb quality imagery, and the equipment is obviously built to Victorian standards of engineering margins.

    Chris Cosgrove

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  16. TRT Silver badge

    Well with your choice of backronyms...

    what else could you expect but a forced hike up the dirt road?

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