Is it illegal to build a rocket in your back year and launch it into space?

Question

would the rocket get shot down trying to leave the atmosphere?
does that mean we are prisoners on our own planet?

sorry for all the questions but i'm curious about this subject.

Answer 1

technically no but nasa would not let you launch

Answer 2

Assuming you mean back yard, yes. The use of the term back yard indicates that you live in a city, and all cities have ordinances against such launches.

Your rocket might have to be shot down, not while leaving the atmosphere, but becausee it won't leave the atmosphere. Take another, good look at the Space Shuttle launch vehicle, and recall that the shuttle makes "dead stick" landings becaus it hasn't the fuel necessary to fly. Your back yard is hardly big enough for a launch pad for a vehicle that can achieve orbital velocity, let alone escape velocity.

Not only are we prisoners on our own planet, we are prisoners of the Sun, and were we to make it to another planet we would be prisoners of that planet. Try not too feel to badly about it, though. This is the only pebble in the sky known to be able to sustain us in the manner in which we have become accustomed. Besides, space travel is incredibly boring! Once you get past an object that can give you some referent of speed, you spend a long, long time feeling that you're not going anywhere.

Answer 3

The reason you can't shoot a rocket from your neighbourhood park is not the laws of any country, it's the laws of physics.

It takes a LOT of energy to get a rocket into orbit, which is the exact reason why they send rockets from Florida -- the closer you are to the equator, the more energy you start off with due to the rotation of Earth.

What would be required to reach space? We're not talking escape velocity, we're not talking orbital velocity, we're just saying 100 kilometres up and falling back down.

First let's ignore air friction. How much pure gravitational energy would you need? Let's imagine the weight of the rocket with half of its fuel expended is 1 kg.
9.81 m/s^2 * 1 kg * 100,000 m = 9.81 megajoules
That's a lot, and it doesn't include air resistance or a lot of other factors. 1 kilogram is really, really light for a sounding rocket; in the 1950s, research sounding rockets were typically 20 - 30 feet long. You couldn't launch that from your back yard!

Next we'll look at legal issues. You have to get FAA clearance to make any flight past a certain altitude. They won't certify a kid launching a space rocket from the back yard.

So don't try it.

Note I did not say "don't try rocketry". Rockets are a great hobby, and lots of fun, and they teach you a lot about making nice-looking things and aerodynamics and dynamics. Do go to your hobby store and buy a starter kit with a rocket, a launch pad and a couple of engines; take them to a BIG WIDE OPEN field with no trees or power lines, and go to it!

Answer 4

It depends where your backyard is. Do you live in the middle of nowhere? Or do you live in downtown Manhattan? You really need to check with your local zoning laws, the Federal Aviation Administration, etc., before you launch a rocket. There ARE places that encourage rocket launching, but they are AWAY from residential areas, which is probably the key factor here.

Answer 5

NO,you can not send a rocket into space without the authorization of the government specially not in america.it is illegal to launch a rocket int space.but no government tec can detect a small rocket but if it is a big one they will probobaly try to shoot it down.the rocket could go anywhere.it might go to the white house or the pentagon and blow up there.

Answer 6

Discovery Channel ran a feature on a young acquaintance I know about that found plans on the Internet for a two-stage rocket. I mean this guy was a natural on computers and found them boring at age 23. I think you're going to find that reaching sub-orbital flight is no small feat, much less orbital flight. What is it, I think 160,000 m/ph?

Answer 7

It sure is. I believe there were two similar incidents. A 12 y/o kid in Ohio built a rocket and launched it about 1 km, U.S. govern found out, he's now working with NASA.

A 11 y/o kid bought 50 fire detectors, and built his own dirty bomb for science class....he now works with the Department of Defense....go figure

Answer 8

No

But you might get arrested for noise pollution, discharge of a shell or other point of law.

Answer 9

Are you going to build one....in your back ' year '