For the obvious reasons, I invariably get too busy to blog exactly when things get interesting...
In all honesty, our second day was almost a repeat of the first… except better…
LaserMotive retained their lead, and inched closer to the 5 m/s benchmark – they removed some payload, and thus ran a bit faster – the official times were 3:49 and 3:48 – 13 seconds faster, in fact, for a speed of 3.9 m/s. The payload was about 200 grams lighter – 0.4 kg (unofficial), for an unofficial score of 3.9 * 0.4 / 4.8 = 0.325.
The score is lower than last year’s, since the reduction in payload counts more against them then the increase in speed counts in their favor (The score is not just about going fastest, it is about carrying the most payload per unit time, relative to your own weight – “how much weight can an ant move in an hour, compared to its own body mass”) thus within each prize bracket, the most efficient climb is likely the one carrying the most payload, and barely clearing the minimum speed.
Kansas City still failed short of reaching the top, though it seems that their problems are largely solved and so we can expect a credible challenge to LaserMotive from KCSP tomorrow.
USST were facing a series of problems, and were not able to run at all. What they can do Friday morning is anyone’s guess. Based on previous years, however, we should definitely not be counting them as having lost. All of their first-place climbs to date were made at the last minute of the last possible day.
Looking into tomorrow, we are expecting two last-chance attempts (KCSP and USST) to get into the prize purse, and one attempt to move from the 2 m/s bracket to the 5 m/s bracket.
The odds for a last-day upset are definitely greater than zero, though LaserMotive is sure starting out the day from a position of strength.
Stay Tuned – http://live.SpaceElevatorGames.org