Kiwis in space? That’s the dream of space addict and entrepreneur, Mark Rocket, and the team at Rocket Lab.

As codirector, Rocket is right behind the developments of Rocket Lab, a private space company whose 5.5 metre sub-orbital rocket is due to be launched in September 2008. As well as this latest feather in his cap, Rocket is director and founder of NZS.com, and has a successful tourism directory and Web design company to his name.

Rocket Lab’s technical director, Peter Beck, has been hard at work developing rocket propulsion technology for more than a decade and yesterday unveiled Atea-01 (’atea’ means ’space’ in Te Reo Maori), a sub-orbital space rocket. Beck said the rocket “will be launched using systems designed to deliver high standards of environmental and public safety.” It will fly to a height of 150 kilometres and be available (at a going rate of between $50,000 and $100,000) for scientific testing and research into climate change, micro gravity and atmospheric conditions. Traveling at four times the speed of sound, the unmanned rocket will be powered by a specialised solid fuel, designed for minimal environmental impact.

What makes New Zealand such a great location for space technology development? Rocket says our clear air space and receptive regulatory environment make New Zealand the perfect location for space technology to flourish. Speaking this morning, Rocket is looking foward to a bright future. He has enjoyed “a superb response since Rocket Lab’s public launch yesterday” and is “very excited about the prospect of forming a space industry in New Zealand.”

Trevor Mallard, Minister of Economic Development, agrees. He has praised Rocket Lab’s creative vision and believes their innovative, low cost solutions will not only provide relatively affordable public access to space; they’ll also lead to the creation of an internationally respected sub-orbital space industry in New Zealand, with positive flow-on effects for our aviation and technology sectors. Mallard says Rocket Lab shows pioneering creativity, “leveraging off New Zealand’s unique geographical position and creating a specialist area of technical expertise.”

Stay tuned for further developments: Rocket claims space hotels, launch pads and space lines are all part of the private space industry’s current speedy development.

Now, of course, New Zealand hasn’t sent astronauts to the moon and we’ve never had a Kiwi astronaut. Actually, we’ve never sent anything into space from the Land of the Long White Cloud, BUT we do have some serious space connections.

One of my heroes is Wellingtonian, Sir William Pickering; he was the Director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from 1954 to 1976 and established himself as a senior NASA luminary. Pickering was extensively involved in America’s unmanned programme to explore the Solar System and appeared on the cover of TIME magazine twice. In my opinion, he’s right up there with Sir Ed but doesn’t get the same recognition. As an aside, I think New Zealanders generally don’t recognise our heroes enough (unless they play rugby), so it’s superb to see The New Zealand Edge site celebrate inspirational New Zealanders.

Many talented Kiwis have made significant contributions to space research:

• Frank Bateson, OBE, was instrumental in establishing the Mount John Observatory near Lake Tekapo and he founded the Variable Star Section (VSS) of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand. The VSS observed variable stars and collated reports on stars from both professional and amateur observers throughout the world.
• Professor John Hearnshaw is a Professor of Astronomy at Canterbury University who is internationally recognised for his research on extrasolar planets.
• Lester Waugh emigrated to Britain in 1974 and then went on to become an engineering manager in charge of designing the ExoMars Rover. For five years he had worked with a team on getting a small British spacecraft on to the surface of Mars. It got there, but unfortunately that was as far as things went, as nobody was able to contact ‘Beagle 2′ once it landed.
• Professor Beatrice Tinsley performed ground-breaking research on how galaxies change and evolve over time and became Professor of Astronomy at Yale University.
• Though not technically a New Zealander, former Cook Islands Prime Minister Sir Thomas Davis was a graduate of Otago University and later went on to serve as the Cook Islands’ High Commissioner to New Zealand. During his early career he became a Space Surgeon for NASA and researched the biological effects of humans in space.

Check out this interesting article on New Zealand astronomy which mentions many key New Zealand astronomers.

And what about future New Zealand space heroes? In the past, space has been dominated by a select few government funded agencies, but now we’re starting to see a vibrant private space industry developing internationally. New Zealanders will certainly have a part to play in this.

Whether our forefathers came from Hawaii, Taiwan, England or wherever - they were explorers. New Zealand is geographically located on the fringe, the edge of civilization; those early explorers and immigrants couldn’t go any further. With our psyche and spirit of endeavor, I believe this century will see New Zealanders play a significant role in the physical exploration of space. Exploration is genetically ingrained in our population and space is the next frontier.

Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m a greenie at heart, so I was happy to hear about a move by Gull Petroleum to introduce New Zealand’s first commercially available biofuel. Derived directly from living matter, biofuel is a more eco-friendly alternative to petrol.

Gull Force 10 is a 98 octane fuel containing a 10% ethanol blend made from whey (a by-product from the processing of milk). The new eco-fuel is now available from three Gull petrol stations in Auckland - Albany, Kingsland and Wiri - with hopes that it will gradually be introduced to Gull’s 27 other New Zealand sites.

A word of warning, though: only use biofuel if it’s compatible with your car!

The Automobile Association has warned drivers that use of biofuel in some cars could cause fuel leaks, fuel line deterioration and invalidation of the vehicle’s mechanical warranty. Drivers should contact their vehicle’s manufacturer if they’re unsure of their car’s compatibility.

And while the new fuel may be cleaner burning and lower in emission levels, it’s no excuse for fuel guzzlers to consume more! Why not think about reducing your fuel consumption by car pooling, taking the bus or whipping out your walking shoes?

The government is also keen to see us reducing our mileage; the Fuelsaver site provides information on fuel consumption and how Kiwis can save on petrol costs. Along with fuel saving tips and myths, they also give the latest safety test results for makes and models of car in New Zealand.

Here are some sites for space nuts…

• Check out the New Zealand Spaceflight Association (NZSA) site for current space news and events. The low $50 annual subscription gives you access to regular meetings and their two-monthly magazine ‘Liftoff’.
• A team of New Zealand radio amateurs are constructing KiwiSAT, a New Zealand designed and built orbiting satellite which they aim to launch within a few years. KiwiSAT will include a scientific research package and enable global amateur radio communications. Donations are accepted to help with the extensive costs of this exciting project.
• Rocket Lab is based in Auckland and is launching suborbital research and commercial payloads into space from 2008. The A-tea series of rocket is designed to carry 25 to 70 kg to an altitude of 150 to 250 km.
• Stonehenge Aotearoa is located in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand, just north of Wellington, and is built on the same scale as the original Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain, in England. This isn’t simply a Stonehenge replica, though; it’s been specifically designed as a practical open-sky observatory for the Southern Hemisphere and is used to teach the calendars of time and seasons. It combines modern scientific knowledge with ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Celtic, Polynesian and Maori starlore.
• Have you seen some strange objects in the sky? Do you have missing time? Take a fascinating look into the world of UFO’s at UFOCUS NZ, a UFO research, support and resource network.
• Stepping into the future, the Star Wars New Zealand (SWNZ) site looks to encourage Star Wars related hobbies and provide fan information for Kiwi Trekkies. New Zealand also finds itself with a mention in Memory Alpha, the Star Trek encyclopedia.

Alrighty, I’m outta time - beam me up!

There’s no escaping earthquakes in New Zealand. Even the Chatham Islands is susceptible to them. Small earthquakes happen every day in New Zealand, but most are not felt. Larger earthquakes (above about Magnitude 3.0) are recorded by GeoNet and usually make it onto their website within a few minutes, showing the time, location, depth and magnitude. This lets you know whether it was a small earthquake close by, or a whopper a long way away. You can even help them with their research by telling them if you felt it or not.