What’s That? (3)

6 responses to “What’s That? (3)”

1. 

   *ivo*

   Oct 27, 2004 at 7:10 pm

   Hmm… to me it looks like lots of optic cables illuminated from above.

   A second option would be a glow in the dark jellyfish?

   I have no idea if I’m even in the ballpark on this one. But at least I got to participate! Thanks for the notice! 8)

   Reply
2. 

   OldCola

   Oct 28, 2004 at 6:01 am

   Maybe a rocket tail

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3. 

   jurvetson

   Oct 28, 2004 at 4:02 pm

   Gosh, I thought it looked like a bundle of neurons under two-photon microscopy…. 😉

   Bingo to OldCola! It took 12 hours this time (but he’s in France so there should be some time zone credit. =)

   It is the cone of fire from a night launch of an Estes model rocket, with wispy fingers of afterburn glow. It’s a solid fuel rocket engine (like the insanely risky segmented solid fuel rocket boosters on the Space Shuttle), so the blow torch sparks guess was very close….

   Unlike the Space Shuttle, the Estes engines are “black powder propellants” with 72% Potassium Nitrate, 14% Charcoal, and 13% Sulfur.

   Estes claims that they have powered over 300 million hobbyist launches.

   Sorry some of your were boxed out by the honor code. Next time it will be something new. And here are the latest rocket builds. (Of course, this is nothing compared to the serious hobbyists!)

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4. 

   BenODen

   Jan 27, 2005 at 4:39 am

   The serious hobbyist rockets are quite something indeed. You ever been to a huge rocket rocket launch? I imagine in my brain that they make more noise than the D size etstes rocket. I had fun building the somewhat more complicated ones as a kid. I have one cool looking one that never flew, but a lot of the fun was launch.

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5. 

   jurvetson

   Jan 27, 2005 at 6:02 am

   Ben: Yes, at LUNAR. I have launched several G size Aerotech engines (photos).

   Plan to go to the desert in Sept to see Mach 3 launches, 100K ft. altitudes, and Pulse Jet engines.

   And a BIG rocket at Vandenberg AFB…. Elon Musk’s LEO launch vehicle…

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6. 

   BenODen

   Jan 27, 2005 at 6:09 am

   Ah, yes, there’s a T motor in that set. The scale is totally hard to come up with on that one.

   I’m jealous about the BIG rocket. I will have to do that sometime.. Wonder how long it’ll take for the space shuttle crouds to get down to manageable levels again… That probably has some of the better public observing, it seems to me.. Here’s hoping they get it off by May..

   Reply