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Back to topRocketman: My Rocket-Propelled Life and High-Octane Creations (Hardcover)
Description
Since the 1960s, Ky Michaelson's rocket-powered vehicles have set 72 state, national, and international speed records. His penchant for the unknown and passion for speed have been with him since childhood, when he built his first rocket-powered motorcycle.
After earning his first world record--for a rocket-powered snowmobile--he decided to go after every acceleration record in the world. This is Ky's story, the life of a driven--or rocket-powered--man. Ky tells about how he began and where hes gone, about his work on hundreds of film and television programs, and about his service as program director of "SPACESHOT 2004"--the grand effort of the Civilian Space Exploration Team (CSXT) to build and launch the first amateur rocket into space. And he describes reaching the "impossible dream" as the first amateur to license, and successfully launch, the Go Fast Rocket into space, with an altitude of 72 miles--and a new speed record of 3,420 mph.
About the Author
Ky Michaelson's penchant for the unknown began in childhood. In 1964, he built his first rocket-powered motorcycle, powered by two Turbonique T-16A rocket motors. While at a local racetrack, the track announcer said, "Here comes the Rocketman." The nickname stuck. In 1969, Ky formed Rocketman Enterprises Inc. and built a rocket-powered snowmobile that made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. "He has worked on over 200 films, television programs, and commercials, as well as the majority of stunt specials that have been seen on TV over the past 30 years. Literally hundreds of feature articles have been written about Ky and his adventures. On May 17, 2004, Ky and the Civilian Space eXploration Team became the first civilians successfully to launch an amateur rocket into space. He continues to build rockets and rocket-powered vehicles in his home workshop in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Praise For…
spacefellowship.com, Nov. 19, 2007
“Rocketman brings to vibrant, immediate life the brilliant, determined, eccentric man whose will was enough to launch him into space, stardom, and history”