Computers in engineering

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July 2004

Amateurs take flight

The Civilian Space eXploration Team (CSXT), a group of amateur rocket scientists, recently completed the successful launch of the first civilian rocket into space. The CSXT solid-fuel rocket blasted off in Nevada's Black Rock Desert on May 17. According to its onboard instruments, the 21-ft rocket accelerated to a speed of more than 4000 mph and reached an altitude of 77 mi above earth, making it the first amateur rocket to do so. The boundary between earth's atmosphere and space is considered to be 62 mi. During the rocket's descent to Earth, a parachute deployed to keep it from tumbling, slow its velocity, and make it hit the ground nose first.
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