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Dyslexic rocket inventor plans blast-off

Dyslexic astronaut engineers his own capsule for May launch.

Amended from a report by Kelly Young
FLORIDA TODAY
BEND, Ore.

At the end of Scottsdale Drive in rural Oregon, tucked away in a workshop, an average, single, middle-aged man tinkers away on a rocket. Brian Walker, the self-proclaimed 'Rocket Guy' and media star of central Oregon, plans to strap into a tiny capsule and launch himself 35 miles into the air on his homemade rocket next May.

Nothing like this has ever been tried before. Walker would be the first private citizen to launch in his own rocket in what would be a 15-minute flight.

In an age when space tourism has become a reality, Walker's homegrown effort has captured the imagination of many across the nation.

The 45-year-old doesn't exactly have a traditional engineering background. He wanted to be an astronaut at 6 or 7. In the fifth grade, Walker built a model laser and went all the way to the state science fair. But by 9, he knew he wouldn't be able to take the traditional route to become an astronaut.

Dyslexia and attention deficit disorder

Later, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder.

"I knew I would have to grow up and build my own rocket," Walker said. He never finished college. And he hates math.

"Even now, I don't do math," he said. "The math's been done." Walker has an opinion on everything: math, women's role in the world, tattoos and piercings, war, the International Space Station, films, human evolution and toys.

$500,000 project

Gadgets he's invented, such as the Air Bazooka, Celestial Seeker and Light Chaser, have funded the $500,000 project. In comparison, an average shuttle launch costs about $500 million. "I think NASA is very good at doing things as cheaply as they can be done safely," said Apollo 12 astronaut and painter Alan Bean.

"So I personally think people will have a very difficult time doing anything cheaper and better than NASA, but I do know that breakthroughs will occur." Walker made his fortune fast after years of living with his parents on and off when inventions failed.

He went through a depression when the recreational submarine he spent more than a year building in Fiji never found a market. Adjacent to the rocket yard is his old toy factory, a Land of Misfit Toys littered with hundreds of creations that haven't yet found the right market. A solar-powered hardhat, a backpack that could make people fly and an inflatable telescope are scattered on shelves and stashed in corners.

He sold his first toy

Seven years ago, he sold his first toy. Last year, one of the toys took off in sales.

He's planning on leaving a videotape behind in case he doesn't survive. "I don't want anyone out there to think I died in vain," Walker said in an example of his self-eulogy.

"I knew the risks. I took the risks. I made this attempt and it didn't work. And the fact of the matter is since you tuned into this program, you know, 47,350 people around the world have died from everything from injury to violence to old age. My death is no more or less significant than their deaths, so get over it."

Website

The project has generated a lot of public attention. He has received 5 million hits on his Web site, www.rocketguy.com this year.

"I do feel more pressure on me, having to do it, because there's so many people that want me to," Walker said. Some of those cheering him on will be classmates from his week of cosmonaut training in Star City, Russia, last year.

"At first, I was skeptical," said fellow trainee Paul Filmer, a program officer for the National Science Foundation. "But it's obvious he's put a lot of thought into it. He's obviously done a lot of projects from scratch before."

Filmer said Walker would talk about his project "to anyone who would listen." He keeps in touch with Rocket Guy and plans to attend the liftoff. Launch has been delayed because of the onslaught of interviews Walker has done. From memory, he says he has done 300 radio, 52 television and countless newspaper and magazine interviews.

A little unorthodox

Like its maker, the rocket in question also looks a little unorthodox - more Buck Rogers than NASA. Walker will assemble it in a large dome he's putting together in his back yard. His back yard has gone from native brush to a space geek's field of dreams. Right now, his back yard is dotted with a rocket service tower, a homemade centrifuge that looks like a carnival ride, and various test capsules.

The 25-foot-high rocket will carry 8,000 pounds of 90 percent pure hydrogen peroxide fuel. The fuel will produce a flame and thrust when it interacts with a silver screen. To get off the ground, it will use a boost of compressed air.

Various parts of the rocket will fall off once he hits certain speeds. Once the main booster uses up all its fuel, little rockets on the manned capsule will separate the two. To slow Walker's fall, a balloon will pop out of the capsule, then a parachute, then a parasail.

Launching in Oregon

He's working with television networks to see if one of them will carry the event live. If something goes wrong, he could activate a device similar to a car airbag, which will separate the capsule and he'll come floating down in a parachute.

Eight times his body weight

The centrifuge in his back yard should help him experience eight times his body weight, similar to what he might feel during the climb in the air.

His rocket won't actually take him into space. His goal is to reach 35 miles before falling back to Earth. Going into orbit requires going up at least 170 miles at 17,500 miles per hour.

The United States awards astronaut status to anyone who flies above 50 miles, NASA spokeswoman Kirsten Larson said. At 35 miles, Walker will be above 99 percent of the atmosphere. If he were to open a window, he would die.

When Filmer and Walker were being fitted for Sokol spacesuits in Star City, Walker realized the suit could be the solution to his problems in high altitude.

Worked in a water tank

In Star City, Walker also worked in a water tank and in a Russian airplane to experience weightlessness. He sat in a centrifuge to experience eight times his body weight. He has avoided bringing up any sort of regulations with the authorities.

He said he hopes the Federal Aviation Administration will grant him a waiver to use the airspace. The FAA and NASA don't have any specific guidelines on a private citizen launching himself. "We're looking into this," said FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer. "As near as we can tell, this is . . . precedent-setting."

With thanks to the excellent news source - Florida Today (September 9th 2001).

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