Pioneering Private Spaceflight: Robert Truax and His 'Volksrocket' Project by

摘要

When rescuers pulled daredevil "Evel" Knievel from the Snake River Canyon near Twin Falls, Idaho, on 8 September 1974--after the premature deployment of his X-2 Skycycle steam rocket's parachute sent him crashing short of the opposite side--he simply addressed the craft's designer, Bob Truax, saying "that is going to be a hell of a hard act to follow, what else do you have up your sleeve?" It took Truax, a rocketeer with more than 40 years of experience, only a few seconds to respond that he could make Knievel the world's first private astronaut if Knievel gave him a million dollars. Having observed how Knievel's spectacle at Snake River Canyon drew attention from a paying crowd and national media--both newspapers and television--Truax saw an opportunity to reap larger financial rewards for himself. When the daredevil motorcyclist agreed to raise the million dollars and gave him $3,000 for a preliminary design study, the venturesome rocketeer hastened to tap his own reserve funds for "a more in-depth study to see just how I might be able to make good on my outrageous boast" and make the dream of private spaceflight come true.~1