The Speculist

We at the Speculist wonder whether Discovery Channel will be a prime sponsor for a new Pro-Am unmanned "Tier 0" division of the recently-announced Rocket Racing League (see our article "Rocketeers, start your engines...") after last night's public debut of the Hyneman-Savage Confederate Hybrid Rocket (v1.0) on Mythbusters (episode 40).

The 200 pound rocket, generating an estimated 800 pounds thrust was successfully launched from the M5 company's test site in the California dry lakes region after a design-and-construction campaign of only 48 hours. Although members of the Speculist team in-the-know on such things observed multiple opportunities for improvement, there has been no announcement as to whether this new "Rebel" class might become the basis of a competition design.