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Since childhood, Ky has had a penchant for the unknown. In 1964, he built his first rocket-powered motorcycle. While at a local race track, the track announcer said, ldquo;Hear comes The Rocketman.rdquo; Since that day, Ky has been known all over the world as The Rocketman. In 1969, Ky formed Rocketman Enterprises Inc. and built a rocket-powered snowmobile that made the Guinness Worldnbsp;Records.nbsp;Ky has worked on over 200 films, television programs, and commercials, as well as the majority of stunt specials that have been seen on TV over the past 30 years. Hundreds of feature articles have been written about Ky and his adventures. He continues to build rockets and rocket powered vehicles to this day.nbsp; Ky resides in Bloomington, Minnesota, with his wife and two children. This is Ky Michaelsonrsquo;s story, the life of a driven-or rocket-powered-man. Ky tells about how he began and where hersquo;s gone, about the rocket-powered vehicles hersquo;s built, and about the homespun innovation that led to the creation of each machine. In May 2004, Ky led the first team of civilians to successfully launch a rocket into space. Through the pages ofRocket Man, he shares this inspiring story of overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges to achieve a life-long dream. An entrancing tour of the rocketing devices Ky devised from scuba tanks and tractor seats, wheelchairs and flexible flyers,Rocket Manalso brings to vibrant, immediate life the brilliant, determined, eccentric man whose will was enough to launch him into space, stardom, and history. Since the 1960s, Ky Michaelsons rocket-powered vehicles have set 72 state, national, and international speed records. His penchant for the unknown and passion for speed have been with him since childhood, when he built his first rocket-powered motorcycle. After earning his first world record--for a rocket-powered snowmobile--he decided to go after every acceleration record in the world. This is Kys story, the life of a driven--or rocket-powered--man. Ky tells about how he began and where hes gone, about his work on hundreds of film and television programs, and about his service as program director of SPACESHOT 2004--the grand effort of the Civilian Space Exploration Team (CSXT) to build and launch the first amateur rocket into space. And he describes reaching the impossible dream as the first amateur to license, and successfully launch, the Go Fast Rocket into space, with an altitude of 72 miles--and a new speed record of 3,420 mph. Acknowledgments Introduction Prologue Part I-Rockets on Land and WaterChapter 1: Legendary Pioneers of Rocket Car Racing Chapter 2: Sonic Challenger Chapter 3: Pollution Packer Chapter 4: Bonneville Speed Runs Chapter 5: NHRA Sanctions Rocket Cars Chapter 6: Rocket Racers Chapter 7: John Paxson Chapter 8: Paula Murphy Chapter 9: Ed Ballinger and the Conklin Comet Chapter 10: Captain Roller Ball Chapter 11: Space Age Racing Inc. Chapter 12: Side-by-Side Go Karts Chapter 13: Lee Taylor Chapter 14: Human Fly Chapter 15: Kitty Orsquo;Neil Chapter 16: Extreme Rocket-Powered Vehicles Chapter 17: Legends of Their Time Chapter 18: Rocketmanrsquo;s Toys PART II-Space Shot on a Shoestring: The CSXT Go Fast Rocket Becomes the First Civilian Rocket to Reach Space Chapter 19: Space Shot 2000 Chapter 20: Rocket Withdrawal Chapter 21: The Day the World Stopped Turning Chapter 22: Mother Michaelson Chapter 23: Mother Naturersquo;s Wrath Chapter 24: PrimeraSpace Shot 2002 Chapter 25: The Journey Continues 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: MS MinchoChapter 26: Three Days to Countdown Chapter 27: Rend the Sky Epilogue: By the Numbers Appendix A: Rocket-Powered Vehicles Built by Ky Michaelson Appendix B: How Hydrogen Peroxide Rocket Engines Work Appendix C: Official NHRA Rocket Car Rules and Regulations The story of the record-breaking innovator who has put rocket power into everything from toilet seats and wheelchairs to go-carts and flexible flyer sleds. Since childhood, Ky has had a penchant for the unknown. In 1964, he built his first rocket-powered motorcycle. While at a local race track, the track announcer said, ldquo;Hear comes The Rocketman.rdquo; Since that day, Ky has been known all over the world as The Rocketman. In 1969, Ky formed Rocketman Enterprises Inc. and built a rocket-powered snowmobile that made the Guinness Worldnbsp;Records.nbsp;Ky has worked on over 200 films, television programs, and commercials, as well as the majority of stunt specials that have been seen on TV over the past 30 years. Hundreds of feature articles have been written about Ky and his adventures. He continues to build rockets and rocket powered vehicles to this day.nbsp; Ky resides in Bloomington, Minnesota, with his wife and two children. An unlikely combination of Hollywood stuntman, mechanical wizard, loving family man and friend, record-setting rocketeer, inspirational speaker, and humble genius, Ky Michaelson seems to have literally done and seen it all. Even so, his life is as busy as ever and theres no stopping Ky, as youll learn in the pages of Rocketman, Fascinated by rockets since his youngest days, Ky was instrumental in gaining license for the first NHRA-sanctioned hydrogen peroxide rocket-powered dragsters in the 1970s. Later in life, he aimed his rocket dreams skyward, building and launching several rockets toward space. In May 2004, from Nevadas Black Rock Desert, Ky Michaelson and his team successfully became the first civilian group to launch a rocket into outer space. His stories are remarkable. His zest for life is unmatched. His inventions are real-life sci-fi. Youll have to read it to believe it. Since the 1960s, Ky Michaelsons rocket-powered vehicles have set 72 state, national, and international speed records. A penchant for the unknown and passion for speed have driven Ky since childhood, when he built his first rocket-powered motorcycle. After earning his first world record--for a rocket-powered snowmobile--Ky decided to go after every acceleration record in the world. Ky tells the engaging story of how he began and where hes gone, including his behind-the-scenes work on hundreds of film and television programs, his home-built rocket-powered toys, and his service as program director of Space Shot 2004--the grand effort of the Civilian Space eXploration Team (CSXT) to build and launch the first amateur rocket into space. And he describes accomplishing the impossible dream to license and successfully launch the Go Fast rocket into space, reaching an altitude of 72 miles and a setting a new speed record of 3,420 miles per hour. This is Ky Michaelsons story, the tale of a rocket-powered man. Since childhood, Ky has had a penchant for the unknown. In 1964, he built his first rocket-powered motorcycle. While at a local race track, the track announcer said, ldquo;Hear comes The Rocketman.rdquo; Since that day, Ky has been known all over the world as The Rocketman. In 1969, Ky formed Rocketman Enterprises Inc. and built a rocket-powered snowmobile that made the Guinness Worldnbsp;Records.nbsp;Ky has worked on over 200 films, television programs, and commercials, as well as the majority of stunt specials that have been seen on TV over the past 30 years. Hundreds of feature articles have been written about Ky and his adventures. He continues to build rockets and rocket powered vehicles to this day.nbsp; Ky resides in Bloomington, Minnesota, with his wife and two children.