History

[kengr]

Behind the cut is a rather large image.

It's a scan from an old newspaper.

Anybody care to guess why I kept the paper?

Comments

[mistresscayenne.livejournal.com]

Oh Yeah... I can guess!!!!!

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[kengr]

Well, given that it was a meet of the *state* model rocketry group, the collection of rockets isn't surprising, though most in that shot were there to look good.

Try to guess which one I am.

And while girls/women were a minority in the groups, ours had several. Such as *all* the daughters of the guy who had the state "license" required for buying the engines (he had an easy time getting the lincense since he was already certified to put on major fireworks displays :-)

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[kengr]

Ah.

Given the time period, "true" model rocketry didn't exist yet. Because it was 64 or 65 before Estes started making engines.

Which means it was *amateur* rocketry that they were considering at your school. Which was dangerous as hell. We're talking "oops, I blew up the lab" dangerous.

As for the photo, nope. Lollee got it right. I'm the skinny kid. 14 years old.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[kengr]

Sounds like maybe the old Jetex "jet" engine used in some model airplanes.

BTW, no way in hell would you get me working with hydrazine or RFNA. They are both toxic and potent teratogens. Among other things.

I've *considered* hydrogen peroxide as a monpropellant.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[kengr]

Rocket fuel isn't necessarily toxic. Alcohol and gasoline aren't all that toxic.

And RFNA is also known as nitrogen tetroxide.

http://www.answers.com/topic/dinitrogen-tetroxide

Note the safe exposure levels...

Hydogen peroxide from the drugstore is a 3% solution. Rocket fuel is a 99% soluton (or at least over 80% for some lower power setups).

The difference between 35 and 99% is about like the difference for one of those caps from the sort of cap pistol that was aound when we were kids and a stick of dynamite.

H2O2 breaks down into water and free oxygen. It's a powerful oxidizer. the breakdown can be catalyzed by a lot of things, including enzymes found in the body, hemoglobin and rust.

The drugstore stuff foams. the 90+% stuff breaks down into superheated steam and free oxygen. Several hundred degrees worth of superheated. And the oxygen at that temp does about what you'd expect to anything organic.

The Germans used it in some of their attempts at manned rocket planes (like the Me-163 Komet) A fuel leak tended to "dissolve" the pilot (though the other fuel components weren't a lot better).

The shuttle uses hydrazine/nitrogen tetroxide thrusters.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

I think

[lolleeroberts.livejournal.com]

You're the one in red and white stripes, kneeling in front.

How cool.

Re: I think

[kengr]

Gee, did you cheat and check the name of the image file?

But yep, that's me at 14.