Guest: Diane Murphy. Topics: Rocket Racing League (RRL). We welcomed Diane Murphy of the Rocket Racing League (www.rocketracingleague.com) to the show. In our first segment, Ms. Murphy talked about the Rocket Racing League, what it is, what it has done so far and it what it will be doing in the future. She explained the air frame and the rocket engine and told us about the manufacturers of each. She also said that the air frame structure determines the performance of the vehicle, not the rocket motor. Diane also talked about the recent Tulsa Air Show and the vehicle flights and more. Later in this segment, we talked about the pilots and their qualifications, as well as the fact that RRL was for the time being making the racers. Since all racers were alike, the contests focus on the skills of the pilots. Diane did explain the typical flight profile for a racer in this section. It was also mentioned that some point it might be possible to have a passenger fly along with a pilot for ride purposes. We also talked about noise abatement and learned that it was not applicable to the racers. Diane said the racers fly about 300 mph but need to stay as close to the ground for thrills. Spectator safety was talked about and stressed. In the second segment we talked about future point to point racing, media rights and income for the RRL, and regulations through the experimental aircraft rules, not the AST rocket launching rules. Diane said that the RRL was started about four years ago and that its role modeling not only NASCAR but the Red Bull races. We talked about the ethanol fuel and also the gaming applications for the iPhone, iPad Touch, and more. In the third and final segment, Diane mentioned the RRL X-Racers Club and becoming a member. We also talked about the racers and vertical flight, and the RRL usage of social media for promotion. I asked Diane for a look at the RRL five years out so be sure to hear where the RRL is headed. The last set of listener questions dealt with the rocket motor's reusability and green capabilities. If you have questions or comments for Diane Murphy, you can email her at press@xracing.com. Please reference The Space Show in your subject line.
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The Space Show
