FAQ

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With the Ansari X Prize won, what is going to happen next with your project?

Our project will continue and we will direct our work, not so much to space tourism, but to research flights to provide universities around the world the possibility to test equipment, experiments and perform research in microgravity with our vehicle.
We will continue working in this project since we believe it is worthwhile, it is an important experience for Argentina and Latin America, and because it is the right thing to do since we already resolved most of the technological challenges of the project. We think that within 5 years, given the current rate of funding, we will be able to start suborbital flights on a regular basis.

Where are you going to launch your vehicles?

Our system will be launched from the Argentine coast on the South Atlantic Ocean. For safety reasons we have not yet made public the exact location of test flights or static tests of sub-systems. When the time comes the media will be invited. To be on the list of media click the PRESS button and leave your E-mail address. By now the public cannot attend our tests due to safety reasons, but we hope this will change in the near future.

Why the name “Gauchito”? What does it mean? Couldn’t you come up with something better?

Gaucho is the name of the South American cowboy, and Gauchito means little cowboy. The name was an informal, unofficial name supposed to never leave our workplace. It started as a joke, due the Argentine custom of naming a new airplane or research vehicle with a regional name. We always thought this custom was funny, so we started calling our VESA the “Gauchito”. Somehow, the name slipped to the X Prize Foundation first, and then to the media, and now the name is “stuck”. However, the official name is VESA (Vehiculo Espacial Suborbital Argentino) or Argentine Suborbital Space Vehicle. Also, each experimental flight will be denoted as VESA-01, VESA-02 etc.

Where is Argentina?

Many people do not know where Argentina is, so we provide here a small briefing ARGENTINA

Does have Argentina enough resources to turn into a space power?
Yes. Our country started space research in the 1950’s. For more information go to: Project Information

Did Argentina have space projects in the past?
Yes, we have had several interesting projects and many of them in cooperation with other nations, such as the United States, France, Italy, Brazil, Germany. You can find more information about past Argentine Space Projects at the Argentine Association for Space Technology site www.aate.org

Who are the members of the team?
Our team is comprised of a group of Argentine scientists, engineers, technicians and specialists in many areas. We also count in our team many enthusiasts whom cooperate on several areas. Many of the people in our team work in universities, research centers and private companies and are experienced professionals with advanced degrees from Argentina and overseas.

Do you guys have enough experience to try something like this?
Working in other organizations the members of our team have completed several projects in the space area. Several of the specialists of “Gauchito” worked for the Proyecto PADE, (Paquete Argentino de Experimentos, or Argentine Experiments Package) a group of 7 experiments which flew in NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-108 during December 2001. For more information about this project visit “Project PADE”
Many other projects were completed by members of our team, not only in Argentina, but in the US, Europe, and other countries.

What do you think about Burt Rutan and the Spaceship One, winner of the Ansari X Prize?

Burt Rutan is a great aerospace designer, perhaps the best of the world. He has a great deal of experience in aeronautics and now is gaining more about space. Rutan was, so far the only successful X Prize competitor able to put together his experience and the necessary funds to make possible the revolutionary step towards private spaceflight.
We are more than happy than Rutan collected the Ansari X Prize. Our position is that we did not have the possibility of winning it before the deadline, December 2004, and the fact that somebody else has won it was the best way to demonstrate that private spaceflight is possible. Rutan made it easier for the rest of the competitors by showing space can be reached without government involvement.

Can the “Gauchito” reach the moon or the International Space Station?

No. “Gauchito” has been designed for suborbital spaceflight only. It would need approximately 70 times more energy to put it into orbit (and more to bring it back) than a suborbital flight. Our vehicle was designed solely for a short flight.

When is going to be your first mission?

The first mission depends on the availability of funds and how well the test schedule progresses. We don’t believe we can make a full flight in less than 5 years due to the availability of funds, but it can be less if we are able to obtain more sponsorship. So far, we are not involved in any funds raising campaign since we believe that, as in Burt Rutan and Paul Allen case, the sponsor needs to find us, not the other way around.

How your project is affected by the economic crisis in Argentina?

The economic crisis in Argentina hit our project hard. For more than 10 years the Peso was equal to the US Dollar, which made it easier to buy imported equipment. Today the US Dollar is equal to 3 Argentine Pesos. Of course we knew that 1 Peso = 1 Dollar was a fantasy, and it drew the country to an economic disaster that we are still recovering from right now.

Is your project somehow defense-oriented?

No, it is not. The “Gauchito” cannot and will not be used for dual uses, or any kind of defense aim. The “Gauchito” purposes are totally scientific and peaceful. From the technical side “Gauchito” does not have the type of guidance system that would make it interesting as a missile. “Gauchito” was designed to transport scientific equipment and human beings, not weapons. The members of the VESA team are convinced of the need for the peaceful use of space for all humankind. We won’t perform any military experiments.

Who is going to pilot “Gauchito”?

We don’t know. There is still a lot of time until we have to worry about it. There is nobody selected and there will not be, until we perform several successful unmanned flights. The selection criteria will be the same as applied to NASA or other agencies for selection of astronauts/cosmonauts. The candidate/s will need a degree in engineering or science and also will need an Argentine pilot license* with a current psycho-physiological exam. After the successful completion of a training program, the applicant will have to be familiar with simulators, parachute training, etc.
*Or foreign pilot’s license under common reciprocity treaty.

Can I buy a ticket for the “Gauchito”?
No. We don’t sell tickets for a vehicle that we still don’t have. When flights are available, the first priority will be scientific and research flights then space tourism.

How much is going to cost a ticket?

We are aiming at $50.000 US per flight. In the human-rated version there will be 3 seats, one used by the pilot. In the qualification tests the second will be used by the flight engineer, and the third to a researcher.

Can I visit the place were it is being built?

Right now we cannot accommodate visitors. Also each part is being made at a different location spread over Argentina, so the different systems are only joined during integration. In the near future, if there is enough interest we may show our system at a larger aerospace exhibit. Also, our vehicles will be available for public display during the X Prize Cup in New Mexico every year.

Can I sponsor a flight or a test?

Yes. During the next years we will be making many tests flights and there are opportunities to sponsor those. See in our PHOTOS section for some of the examples of how a sponsorship can be shown on one of our rockets. Our team also needs materials, equipment and different services on a regular basis, so we can also exchange those goods for advertisement on our launch tests. For more information contact us at: sponsors@pablodeleon.com

Can I see a launch?

At this moment we cannot allow the public to witness a launch or test. In the near future we hope to change this rule since we received requests from hundreds of people in Argentina and overseas. At this moment our tests are not safe enough to allow public to be present, but we are moving forward and will be happy to review this rule soon.

Does your team receive any help from the Argentine Government?

No, none. Our project is totally private, and the Argentine Government does not give any support, nor does it have anything to do with our project or plans for the future.

Does your team needs any government permit to launch or to perform tests?

Yes. To ensure safety of the Argentine airspace, persons, and aircraft, our team does have to follow several rules for actual launches. These rules are enforced by the Direccion Nacional de Aeronavegabilidad, DNA. To perform tests not related to launches (static tests, etc.) we don’t need any kind of permit.

Can I work with your team?

The fast response is yes. Our team accepts volunteers depending of the specific needs of the project. Visit the section “How to Help” for more information.
Some volunteers whom live far from the laboratories and workshops cooperate via Internet and teleconferences doing design, software programming or other tasks where physical presence is not required.

Do I have to be Argentine to be part of the team?

No. Even if practically all the members of our team are Argentine citizens, this is not a requirement. However, since all our documents are in Spanish the full knowledge of the language is a must. For more information click” How to Help” in the main menu.

Is NASA or any other space agency helping your team?

Not directly. NASA helps just by the fact of making public information of high technical value, which is useful for our project. To NASA we owe the basic aerodynamic shape of “Gauchito” which is “borrowed” from the Little Joe rocket. This saved us hundred of hours in aerodynamic tunnels and consequently a lot of money. The same thing applies to the capsule, “Gauchito” which follows the lines of the Apollo spacecraft. The availability of information from the Apollo Project, plus the manuals NASA provided without cost, allowed us to advance in a conservative, trusted and economic design, which otherwise would be very hard to complete.

How do you fund your project?

That is a difficult question!. Since the beginning our project has been funded privately by the members. We hope in the near future to obtain a better source of funding to accelerate the work on our project. Our team never solicited funds from the Argentine Government or any other state entity.

NASA lost two space shuttles already. Do you think it will be easier for your team?

No, we know it is not going to be easy. We know there can be accidents and we are prepared to take full responsibility of the risks involved. Of course we are doing it with the maximum safety possible. This is a new era in space activities, where private citizens are beginning to fly into space and some of them will attempt to do it in an unsafe way. There will be accidents. We have to be prepared, because it is going to happen sooner or later. The beginning or aeronautics brought many accidents but that didn’t stop the development of a safer and faster aviation industry. Today’s situation is a lot different than then.

Regarding the comparison with the Space Shuttle and our project, the truth is than there is no comparison possible between the two. Our project is thousands of times simpler and we only plan a suborbital flight to 100 kilometers. Our spacecraft descends ballistically and is retrieved in the ocean by cargo parachutes. The shuttle is a complex spaceship which uses a totally different concept, it goes to orbit, can stay there for two weeks, maneuver, deliver payloads, dock with space stations, support Extravehicular Activities, and after all that land in a selected runway as a glider. Our project is a minimum jump, and a first experience for Argentina in the field of human spaceflight. We use simple technology and our goals are modest in comparison.

Your rockets looks very “Retro” with a very big and “weird looking” fins. How can it fly?

Even so called “rocketeers” and “connoisseurs” of space technology asked us this question many times. It is curious that these people, familiar with rocket systems do not recognize NASA’s LITTLE JOE (link) in the design of the “Gauchito”. The Little Joe was a tested rocket that in the 1960’s allowed the United State to safely test Mercury and later, Apollo capsules. The shape of the Little Joe responds to the flight profile and aerodynamics needed, and we simply adapted the experience and knowledge gained with this successful NASA design to our project. This simple vehicle can also be economically manufactured.

What do you think about NASA?

NASA is a very fine organization, full of creative and bright people. It is the only organization in the world that has been able to put men on the Moon in addition to its many other amazing achievements. On top of that, NASA still flies the Space Shuttle, and any organization that can make the shuttle fly and bring it back safely most of the time deserves our applause. The resources of NASA regarding manpower and infrastructure are tremendous and must be preserved no matter what. Recently many people have criticized NASA, especially after the Columbia tragedy and the successful flight of the Spaceship One. Even if the flights of Spaceship One are amazing and opens a new era in human spaceflight, comparing the Shuttle with Spaceship One is totally wrong.

NASA must not end, but must be made stronger. The potential revolution in spaceflight is in great part thanks to NASA and the materials, products, and processes developed by them. Of course NASA currently has many significant problems, but ending the agency is clearly not an appropriate solution.