Fitness
Inside America’s Great Amateur Space Race
Launching rockets into space seems like one of the few niches out of reach for amateurs. Sure, a few private companies are competing with NASA, the European Space Agency, and Russia’s Roscosmos, but they’re multi-million dollar corporations backed by billionaires. Not a dude in a garage. But before SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, there was Ky Michaelson and a couple other self-funded mad scientists hoping to launch their own rockets into orbit. The new show Homemade Astronauts (now streaming on Discovery+) opens the lid on the little known world of amateur rocket makers and their crazy quest for space.
In a format that’ll feel familiar to fans of Deadliest Catch, the show follows three crews as they work toward a launch countdown, with all the drama and suspense that goes with the perils of hurtling a human miles into the air—with a film crew in tow. There’s Mad Mike Hughes and Waldo Stakes, who are using a series of steam-rocket test flights. Their ultimate goal is to build a hybrid rocket and hot air balloon to carry Hughes 62 miles up to the border between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. In Oregon, Cameron Smith wants to reach the Armstrong Line, a height of 60,000 feet, in a hot air balloon. His secret is a tinkerer’s creativity, including a cast iron pot. And finally there’s Michaelson, the old growth of Homemade Astronauts.
“It’s not as farfetched as it seems to build a rocket and put a guy up in space,” Michaelson says.
Now 82, the Minnesotan always dreamed of space. He had stars on his bedroom ceiling growing up, and his father was an astronomer who ground his own telescope lenses. With a “mechanical, photographic mind” he was always building stuff. He put together his first rocket from a childhood black powder chemistry set.
“I was dyslexic,” Michaelson explains. “It was the best thing that could happen to me. It put a chip on my shoulder. I thought ‘I can do anything better than anyone.’ I always take on a challenge.” And he never backed down from risk. He raced cars and worked as a stuntman on more than 200 films and TV shows. But it was always a sideline for his passion.
“Rockets have been my life,” he says. “There aren’t too many things I haven’t put a rocket on.”
That list includes—but is not limited to—cars, snowmobiles, motorcycles, sleds, and even a toilet, the SS Flusher. His son’s legal name is Buddy Rocketman Michaelson. The elder Michaelson says he holds 72 different rocket-related records.
The most rewarding was reaching space. And the biggest obstacle to getting there wasn’t technical. It was bureaucratic.
With a couple other backyard rocket makers, in 1997 Michaelson formed the Civilian Space eXploration Team, a private company aiming to go beyond Earth’s atmosphere. NASA had never issued a permit to launch a rocket into space—except to itself. It was in no rush to set the precedent, putting up hurdle after hurdle for Michaelson. It took more than two years of foot-dragging for NASA to issue the permit.
Over the next five yeas CSE launched a series of test flights, gradually increasing the size of the rocket and how high above the earth they reached. Much of the funding for the efforts came out of Michaelson’s pocket.
“I’ve made a lot of money in my life,” he says, then deadpans, “I’ve also spent a lot of money in my life.”
It paid off in 2004. His team launched the $200,000 GoFast Rocket from Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. Powered by hydrogen peroxide fuel and screens of silver catalysts that turn it into super-heated steam, it reached 72 miles above the ground, becoming the first private rocket to breach Earth’s atmosphere.
“It was the biggest moment of my life,” Michaelson says. “I broke down and cried.”
A decade later, the team repeated the success. Now they want to do it with a man on board. That’s where Discovery+ picks up the story.
“My ultimate goal is to send a rocket 50 miles up and safely come down with a guy on board,” he says. “I’m going to keep going at it for as long as I’m able.”
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The key to 360-degree muscle: 90-degree eccentric isometrics. It might seem like we’re throwing a lot of geometry at you, but the concept behind time under tension (TUT) is simple, says Joel Seedman, PhD, owner of Advanced Human Performance: “Perform the lowering phase of a movement in a slow, controlled fashion, usually 3 to 5 seconds; pause in the stretched position, typically around 90 degrees; then perform the lifting phase in a powerful yet controlled fashion.” Believe us, a time-under-tension workout can humble even seasoned lifters…Eccentric isometrics are like the pressure cooker of training.
“Rather than mindlessly performing slow-tempo reps, you’re using the increased time under tension as a means to fine-tune your body mechanics and alignment, which requires more mental engagement and focus,” Seedman adds.
If you want to forge functional muscle mass and strength while simultaneously bulletproofing the joints and connective tissue, give this 10-move, full-body eccentric isometrics workout a go.
Directions
Perform the following moves as 90-degree eccentric isometrics following the above protocol. Use heavy weight, but not at the detriment of proper form. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets and 2 minutes between circuits. Perform once every 2 to 4 days for optimal results.
Best Time-Under-Tension Workout for Total-Body Strength
Circuit 1
A. Barbell Back Squat
Set a squat rack up with heavy weight, then grasp bar and step under it. Squeeze shoulder blades together, then stand to unrack bar and step back with feet shoulder-width apart. Inhale, hinge at hips and slowly bend knees to 90 degrees. Pause, keeping natural arch in low back, then extend through hips to powerfully stand. 3 x 4-6 reps
B. Renegade Row
Start in the top position of a pushup with hands shoulder-width apart on moderate-to-heavy dumbbells (shown). Explosively drive right elbow back to row dumbbell toward ribs while balancing on opposite hand and feet. Pause, then slowly lower weight, stopping a few inches above floor. Switch sides after all reps are done. 3 x 5 reps each side
Circuit 2
A. Dumbbell Bentover Row
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding two moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in front of thighs, palms facing you. Push hips back and hinge torso forward so it’s nearly parallel to floor, soft bend in knees. Dumbbells should be near shins. Drive elbows back to row weights toward ribs. Pause, then slowly lower down for 3 to 5 seconds. 3 x 4-5 reps
B. Incline Dumbbell Chest Press with Legs Raised
Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree angle and lie back with dumbbells in either hand. Engage core and lift legs off floor, flexing feet. Press weights overhead, palms in. Slowly lower to 90 degrees, staying tight and compact. Pause, then drive weights up directly over chest. 3 x 4-5 reps
Circuit 3
A. Dumbbell Bulgarian Squat
Stand lunge-length in front of a flat bench, holding heavy dumbbells in each hand by your sides, palms facing in. Rest the ball on top (shoe’s laces) of your right foot behind you on the bench. Slowly lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Pause, then drive through your heel to stand. Switch sides after all reps are complete. 2 x 3-4 reps each side
B. Single-leg Romanian Deadlift
Stand with feet hip-width apart holding dumbbells or kettlebells. Drive right leg up, foot flexed, knee aligned with hip, making a 90-degree angle. Hinge at hips as you slowly lever your torso toward floor, lowering weights and driving right leg back for counterbalance. Hold, then squeeze glutes to reverse. 2 x 3-4 reps each side
Circuit 4
A. Pullup
Hang from a pullup bar using an overhand grip with legs extended and feet flexed. Engage lats and draw shoulders down your back, then pull yourself up until chin is higher than hands. Pause at the top, then slowly lower. Pause at bottom, then reset before your next rep. 2-3 x 4-5 reps
B. Kneeling Overhead Barbell Press
Hold a bar with moderate-to-heavy load at shoulder level with forearms perpendicular to floor. Kneel at end of bench with feet flexed to grip edge for support. Inhale, engage your core and glutes, then press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward so it passes your face, exhaling at the top.
Slowly lower until elbows are at 90 degrees, then hold to maintain tension. Begin your next rep from here. 2-3 x 4-5 reps
Circuit 5
A. Dumbbell Pushup
Place hands on dumbbells (this provides greater range of motion) at shoulder width and feet wider than shoulder width with just toes touching the ground. Keep head neutral and hips high to increase tension on core, chest and tris and reduce stress on spine. Slowly lower to the floor. Stop
once elbows hit 90 degrees, pause, then push up to start. 1-2 x 6-8 reps
B. Biceps Curl
Stand with feet hip-width apart with moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in each hand hanging by sides. Engage biceps to curl the weights up, keeping upper arms still. Pause at the top, then lower slowly. Don’t let arms drop all the way down to keep greater time under tension on biceps. 1-2 x 6-8 reps
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