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a grand day out! designed
and built by Randall Gould
A whimsical spaceship inspired by a Wallace & Gromit
adventure...
 For weeks Randy Gould
toiled in a mysterious location next to the waterfront in downtown Tacoma on a project that would soon stun the
world. Little did we know, but Randy was a closet space fan, always wondering what it would be like to pilot his
own spaceship, but had gotten side-tracked by a career in architecture.
Opportunity presented itself when Eric Lindbergh,
the grandson of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh helped to create the X-Prize, a $10 million prize to motivate private
industry to get into space. Major competitors include the Burt Rutan designed and Paul Allen funded SpaceShipOne,
set to test in the Mojave Desert in June 2004. Randy knew it was now or never.
Time was of the essence and soon top secret design
and assembly drawings were being drafted by Randy and Michael Kershisnik in the offices of Drager Gould Architects
located in the Old City Hall Historic District of Tacoma. Randy's nemesis, Burt Rutan, who was designing SpaceShipOne,
would never suspect such a clandestine location.
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| Picture of "a grand day out!"
reaching the edge of space...“You can see the curvature of the Earth,” Captain Gould said. “You get one heck of
a view from 100 kilometers up!.” |
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A construction site was acquired in the perfect
hiding place. No one would suspect a location such as Tacoma's Working Waterfront Museum on the Thea
Foss Waterway. Surrounded by craftsmen toiling
away with ancient boat building techniques, Randy revealed to a select few, his vision of a rocketship that would
beat Paul Allen and Burt Rutan's planned launch of SpaceShipOne. Long a Wallace and Gromit fan, Randy decided to
emulate the ship that took the plasticine pair to the moon to restock their cheese supplies when the corner shop
was on holiday.
Hearing that SpaceShipOne was about ready to blast
off on its maiden voyage, Randy quickly readied his rocketship that he named "a grand day out!" to the
launchpad. The launch on a beautiful Western Washington summer day was flawless and soon "a grand day out
!" was rocketing above Tacoma to reach the edge of space.
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| "a grand day out !"enjoys
floating above the earth... |
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| the view of Tacoma and the Puget Sound
from the porthole of "a grand day out !"... |
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Randy's trip was brief but amazing. Soon his rocketship
was above the earth in low earth orbit. As Randy floated in his capsule he
received a call of congratulations from President Bush. President Bush said, "The human thirst for knowledge
ultimately cannot be satisfied by even the most vivid pictures or the most detailed measurements. We need to see
and examine and touch for ourselves, and only human beings are capable of adapting to the inevitable uncertainties
posed by space travel. Mankind is drawn to the heavens for the same reason we were once drawn into unknown lands
and across the open sea. We choose to explore space because doing so improves our lives and lifts our national
spirit." Hmmm... deep thoughts from the President.
All of a sudden Randy realized the importance of his flight. He felt a little sad as he floated in front of his porthole and looked down upon Tacoma and the Puget Sound. His historic flight
to the edge of space would be so fleeting but definitely exhilarating.
The world was stunned, SpaceShipOne was beat to
space by an architect in Tacoma, Washington unknown to the rocket scientists and their billionaire financiers.
In a show of rocket scientist solidarity, Paul Allen, Burt Rutan and their SpaceShipOne pilot Mellvil invited Randy
to celebrate with them on his great feat. Although somber the team that
almost won the private space race, accepted defeat gracefully and welcomed Randy with open arms. Randy was definitely
in the mood to celebrate.
Paul Allen, SpaceShipOne pilot Mike Melvil and Burt Rutan celebrate with Randy after his historic flight... |
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| "a grand day out!" touchdown
at children's museum auction... |
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The rocketship "a grand day out !" had a pinpoint landing
on Broadway in downtown Tacoma, Washington. The street had been cleared in anticipation of the return.
This was a fortuitous landing place. Randy had been able to realize
his dream of flying to the edge of space in his rocketship. But...he always knew that this would be a one time
trip. His love of architecture, especially custom residential design, was too great. The rocketship needed to bring
enjoyment to others. His landing site was soon to be in the middle of the Children's Museum of Tacoma's auction titled "A
Place to Play: Dinner and Playhouses Under the Stars." What could be better than to bring the enjoyment of
space to a new generation. Perhaps there will be a budding rocket designer born.
The night of Saturday June 26th, 2004 found a fine group of playhouses
and one rocketship had assembled on Broadway in front of the Tacoma Children's Museum. The night was to be a bittersweet
evening of celebration as the rocketship was to be auctioned off to support the Children's Museum of Tacoma.
The Rocketship "a grand day out !" has found a new home in
a great neighborhood. Helping to build strong minds and bodies for the next generation.
All in fun! Thanks to VOA News, MichNews.com, King5 News.com, CBSNews.com and President Bush for their contribution
to our story. And thanks to the Children's Museum of Tacoma, Paul Allen, Burt Rutan and Scaled Composites and the
Maritime Museum of Tacoma. For the Kids! |
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RECOGNITION
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