0757 Scorpius Team Rollout (2011-06-20)

The procession begins with the Armadillo Aerospace crane truck, followed by the Scorpius rocket module, then a fuel truck towing what I believe is a methane fuel cell. I don't know what the function of the silver SUV is. The red vehicle apparently contained the X Prize judges. After these vehicles are enroute to the launch pad, located 1500 feet from the spectators, a fire engine takes up position at the far end of the spectator area.

0761 First Qualifying Flight (2011-06-22)

This video begins with the Scorpius module already hovering in air. Its flight path requires it to reach an altitude 50 meters (164 feet) above ground level, hover, translate laterally (move sideways) 50 meters, hover, then descend to a landing zone. It must remain aloft for 180 seconds and land within a meter of the center of the landing zone. John Carmack said that when he tried to move the landing module closer to the center of the landing zone, the module moved the opposite direction than commanded. So, after landing the module, his team uploaded a software patch to correct the control. I shot this video using a Pentax Optio W60 held in my left hand, while shooting still photos using a Canon 20D in my right hand. While I was doing that, I took my earplugs out of my shirt pocket and put them in my ears, because that rocket is really loud when it is airborne. While I'm doing all this, a swarm of fire ants was stinging my right leg. So, my video isn't as steady as it might have been if I weren't so distracted.