In article ,
Steve Hix writes:
In article ,
(Peter Stickney) wrote:

I don't see any X-Prize contenders carrying 1,000# of Data Acq along
with them.

How much would equivalent-capability gear weigh these days?

Well, in the case of teh instruments and recorders, quite a bit less,
(How's that for an exact figure!) and with a much lower cooling
burden, as well. The telemetry stuff will also be a bit lighter, but
not as much - transmitters are still pretty hefty.

Of course, if you were building a 21st Century X-15, and you had 1000#
(or even 450 Kg) of avaialable payload, you'd fill it up with even
more stuff. Equipment expands to fill the available volume & weight,
after all.

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster