May 22, 2001: Homemade Rocket - Brian Walker
The Art Bell Archive · Arthur William Bell III
November 27, 20242h 52m
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Show Notes
Art Bell interviews Brian Walker, a self-taught rocket scientist and toy inventor from Bend, Oregon, who is building a hydrogen peroxide-powered rocket in his backyard to launch himself 35 miles into space. Walker details his plan to ride Earth Star One on a 15-minute suborbital flight, accelerating to Mach 4 during a 90-second engine burn before coasting to the edge of space and parachuting back to a dry lake bed.
Walker explains the engineering behind his project, including a pneumatic launch system that catapults the rocket before engine ignition, a finless bullet-shaped capsule redesigned for stability, and multiple redundant recovery systems featuring drag chutes, ram-air parachutes, and a personal bailout option. He has built a backyard centrifuge to simulate the six-G forces he will experience and traveled to Russia to fly a MiG-25 at 80,000 feet and train at the cosmonaut facility.
The self-made millionaire describes his lifelong dream of spaceflight, his 250 media interviews since going public, and his plan to launch in May 2002. He discusses FAA considerations, the possibility of relocating to Mexico if permits are denied, and the broader significance of a private citizen attempting what only governments have accomplished.
Walker explains the engineering behind his project, including a pneumatic launch system that catapults the rocket before engine ignition, a finless bullet-shaped capsule redesigned for stability, and multiple redundant recovery systems featuring drag chutes, ram-air parachutes, and a personal bailout option. He has built a backyard centrifuge to simulate the six-G forces he will experience and traveled to Russia to fly a MiG-25 at 80,000 feet and train at the cosmonaut facility.
The self-made millionaire describes his lifelong dream of spaceflight, his 250 media interviews since going public, and his plan to launch in May 2002. He discusses FAA considerations, the possibility of relocating to Mexico if permits are denied, and the broader significance of a private citizen attempting what only governments have accomplished.