It's more of a video of the week really, but the picture is pretty cool too. NASA are testing out a new fart rocket, I mean, liquid methane propulsion system. A snippet from the Wired review:
"NASA is firing up the 5M15, which runs on compressed liquid methane. The odorless substance has multiple advantages over conventional rocket propellants: It's cheaper, it requires much less insulation, and it exists on several planets NASA hopes to travel to — Mars, here we come. That means astronauts could collect their own fuel for the trip home. Bonus rocket science: Those glowing figure eights in the blast stream are called Mach disks, after the guy who lent his name to the speed of sound."
The picture makes me want to bolt two pistol grips onto it and turn it into the ultimate anti-cretin device. The video of it in action is the business though. It sounds amazing, even when it's cooling down. Listen out for the boom when it ignites...
I can't stop watching it!
[via - usemycomputer.com]
1 comment:
Very cool.
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