Standing room only - the world's tiniest manned suborbital vehicle [from 2012]

gizmag.com ^ | May 20, 2012 | Brian Dodson

[BenLurkin]

CS's Tycho Brahe is a one-passenger capsule intended for a purely ballistic flight to a peak altitude approaching 100 miles. The passenger is just along for the ride, with no mechanism to steer or otherwise pilot the capsule. Were it not for the transparent hemisphere (a plastic fishbowl) surrounding the passenger's head, the capsule would certainly be called claustrophobic, with a launch weight of 300 kg (660 lbs), a diameter of 0.62 m (2.03 feet), a capsule length of 3.5 m (11.5 feet) and a "cabin" length of 2.3 m (7.5 feet)

...

After the weightless part of the flight is ended, the Tycho Brahe has a heat shield which consists of multiple layers of cork tiles wrapped around the capsule to a total thickness of 15 mm (0.59 inches). The capsule has one drogue and three cross-shaped main parachutes for recovery, with a total area of 145 sq m (1560 sq ft). If something goes amiss, the passenger is also equipped with a personal parachute for "panic egress".

[BenLurkin]

[Vaquero]

check out the new dragon V2 manned capsule

http://new.livestream.com/spacex/DragonV2/videos/52348399

[knarf]

Except your head in a bubble is not heat protected ... so the last sensation you experience is the sizzling sound of broiling meat.

[pabianice]

The last sensation you get is having your legs splinter as you get to take 8 Gs standing-up.

[Constitution Day]

If something goes amiss, the passenger is also equipped with a personal parachute for "panic egress".

Um, yeah. I'll pass.

[knarf]

looks a little more like crucifiction without the crossbar

[BenLurkin]

Better link: http://www.gizmag.com/worlds-smallest-manned-suborbital-vehicle-copenhagen/22525/

[SampleMan]

Reentry is a good question.

If you assume that there is no appreciable drag until you hit around 100,000ft, then gravitation acceleration will bring the vehicle to 3500 miles per hour.

That’s really fast and certainly a heat producer, but its not orbital reentry fast, so a comparable heat sheild isn’t required. That said, the heat is still likely to peak at 700-1000F, so cooling the occupant and prevent shell failure is a real concern.

[Lazamataz]

The best part about it is you have utterly no control over anything.

[left that other site]

Looks Like a REALLY BIG condom.

[usurper]

Spam in a can.

[BitWielder1]

Since it's not re-entering from orbital speed, there will be no more heat going down than going up.
NASA *could* have designed their space crafts without heat shields if they instead could carry enough fuel to slow down much more before re-entry.
I guess the heat shield for the aero brake re-entry method weighed less than the fuel it would take to do the same thing.

[bandleader]

Thepassenger is”Just Along For The Ride”?This sounds like The Citizenry Of The United States of America during the”Reign”of Obongo”The Messiah”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Secret Agent Man]

a little over half an inch thick cork for a heat shield does not convince me my fears of burning up are unfounded.

[camle]

didn’t Lanier have one of these?

[SampleMan]

a little over half an inch thick cork for a heat shield does not convince me my fears of burning up are unfounded.

Sissy. ;-)

[COBOL2Java]

The best part about it is you have utterly no control over anything.

Call it the "ObamaCare Capsule"

[GeronL]

Call it Deep Vein Thrombosis One

[Secret Agent Man]

:-)

[Mike Darancette]

CS's Tycho Brahe is a one-passenger capsule intended for a purely ballistic flight to a peak altitude approaching 100 miles.

Like riding on a bullet.