The propellant formulations (Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant--APCP) used for high power model rockets are essentially the same as the one used in the solid rocket boosters that lift the Space Shuttle.
Granted, model rockets don't use LOX. LH2 or hypergolics, but some of us are playing around with hybrids like Rutan used on SpaceShipOne.
Can you imagine how smashed they would be after an 8 hour shift?
I wonder how this "bar" gets around the OSHA chemical exposure limits for employees. The permissible exposure level (PEL) for ethanol is 1000 PPM in general industry. To be getting drunk in 40 minutes, the atmosphere in the bar must be a lot more concentrated than that.
AP can explode if large amounts are heated in a fire in closed containers, such as happened at PEPCON.
Nonetheless, AP is NOT regulated as an explosive unless in a very finely granulated form, with 5 micron particle size. APCP is typically manufactured using a much coarser powder, around 200 micron.
This court decision only affects APCP, not finely powdered AP, which remains on the explosives list.
They both prohibit launching a rocket AT A TARGET.
In fact, a rocket with active guidance (a "sunseeker") won a NAR R+D award a few years ago. George Gassaway built it, but his webpage seems to be down at the moment...
The non-lethality of HPR is not really surprising, given the results when non-guided rockets are intentionally used as weapons.
The Qassam rockets used by the Palestinians bear some superficial resemblance to high power hobby rockets, in that they are unguided, homemade rockets, with similar impulse range. But even though the Qassams are built of steel pipe (rather than cardboard or phenolic tube), are equipped with an explosive warhead, and are INTENTIONALLY fired into populated areas, they have a piss-poor record at actually killing anyone. 28 fatalities out of 1700+ launches.
There is a reason that billions of dollars have been spent by governments on equipping missiles with guidance systems. It makes it possible that they might actually hit their targets by more than dumb luck.
Pseudoephedrine is a component of many allergy preparations, both OTC and Rx. The "D" in products like Claritin-D and Allegra-D stands for "decongestant", which is almost always pseudoephedrine.
For myself, and a few other hay fever sufferers I have talked to, it seems to be the pseudoephedrine that actually provides the relief from the symptoms, not the antihistamine. It was cheaper to just buy plain old Sudafed or the generic equivalent, at least before these new bullshit regs went into effect. Now, pseudoephedrine products have skyrocketed in price, the number of pills available per package has been slashed dramatically, and you have to put yourself into a DEA database to get any! And if the pharmacist behind the counter doesn't like the look of you, you're screwed.
Nope, black powder is still available without a license, as long as it is sold for use in antique firearms (muzzleloaders, cannons, etc.). Because these weapons do not require a permit, essentially anyone can own them, and purchase powder for them. You can buy and store up to 50 lbs of the stuff with no license or permit required.
Ironically, it is illegal for rocketeers to purchase/use a single gram of black powder for our parachute ejection charges without a federal explosives permit. And today's court decision does nothing to change this. Fortunately there are alternatives for ejection charges which are axempt from BATFE regs.
How hard would it be to synthesize ammonium perchlorate from APCP?
Pretty difficult. APCP consists of AP and a powdered metal (Al or Mg) locked in a matrix of synthetic rubber. The material has about the consistency of a pencil eraser. Anything that would dissolve away the rubber binder would most likely react with the AP.
Besides, AP itself was not regulated by the BATFE, except for a VERY finely granulated (If it is not overly difficult, the BATF has every reason to be worried that mass distribution of this without licensing could open a channel for acquiring explosives materials domestically and in bulk under the guise of "hobbyist".
First of all, this whole court decision was based on the fact that APCP is NOT an explosive. Even contained in a sealed metal pipe, it is pretty worthless for building a bomb. And second, these motors will not exactly be "mass distribution" type items you will find on the shelves at Walmart or whatever. Purchase will STILL require certification through one of the 2 national rocketry organizations (NAR or Tripoli), HAZMAT shipping (which can only go to a valid address, not a PO box) and legally using them still requires airspace waivers from the FAA.
It wouldn't be the first time -- pseudoephedrine can be readily broken down to ephedrine, which is one of the components needed for methanphetamine production (and derivatives).
Which makes for a major PITA for law-abiding citizens who now have to get the 3rd degree from a pharmacist to get a pack of allergy pills. Meanwhile, the meth keeps pouring in from the "superlabs" south of the border. At least we're all safe from those evil packages of Sudafed, though!
Fat Man, the plutonium bomb dropped on Nagasaki, fissioned perhaps 20% of the plutonium, and converted around 1 GRAM of that mass into energy. The fission products and unfissioned plutonium came down as radioactive fallout.
The heatshield incident on Glenn's flight doesn't count as a failure, because the heatshield didn't actually come loose, and Glenn was never in any danger from it.
One of the switches that detected landing beg deployment failed, causing a false telemetry indication.
...with the exception of Gemini, which had no failures at all in its ten whole launches.
No failures on Gemini?
What would you call the stuck thruster on Gemini 8, causing the spacecraft to tumble out of control, nearly killing the crew, and requiring an emergency re-entry?
Growing pot will generally result in a charge of "manufacturing a controlled substance", which is much more serious than possession with intent. Same charges as if you were running a meth lab.
In most states, having a stash of more than an ounce, or keeping it in more than one baggie, is enough for a "Possession with Intent to Distribute" charge.
I would suspect that you could live for up to several minutes after being shot in the heart. You wouldn't even lose consciousness until your brain was sufficiently deprived of oxygen, which could take many seconds....
What he really should do is grow a pair, and use his position as an incredible athlete to speak out against the persecution of pot smokers.
His performance in Beijing totally DESTROYS all the standard "potheads are losers who will never amount to anything" line of bullshit that we have been spoonfed for years.
He should also tell Kellogg's cereal to go fuck themselves, and seek sponsorship deals from EZ-Wider and Dominos Pizza.:)
Slashdot Mirror
The propellant formulations (Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant--APCP) used for high power model rockets are essentially the same as the one used in the solid rocket boosters that lift the Space Shuttle.
Granted, model rockets don't use LOX. LH2 or hypergolics, but some of us are playing around with hybrids like Rutan used on SpaceShipOne.
Can you imagine how smashed they would be after an 8 hour shift?
I wonder how this "bar" gets around the OSHA chemical exposure limits for employees. The permissible exposure level (PEL) for ethanol is 1000 PPM in general industry. To be getting drunk in 40 minutes, the atmosphere in the bar must be a lot more concentrated than that.
And the NAR's argument was that the burn rate of APCP was too low to qualify as an explosive.
AP can explode if large amounts are heated in a fire in closed containers, such as happened at PEPCON.
Nonetheless, AP is NOT regulated as an explosive unless in a very finely granulated form, with 5 micron particle size. APCP is typically manufactured using a much coarser powder, around 200 micron.
This court decision only affects APCP, not finely powdered AP, which remains on the explosives list.
Neither the NAR Model Rocket code or the High Power safety code prohibit active guidance syatems.
http://www.nar.org/NARmrsc.html
http://www.nar.org/NARhpsc.html
They both prohibit launching a rocket AT A TARGET.
In fact, a rocket with active guidance (a "sunseeker") won a NAR R+D award a few years ago. George Gassaway built it, but his webpage seems to be down at the moment...
The non-lethality of HPR is not really surprising, given the results when non-guided rockets are intentionally used as weapons.
The Qassam rockets used by the Palestinians bear some superficial resemblance to high power hobby rockets, in that they are unguided, homemade rockets, with similar impulse range. But even though the Qassams are built of steel pipe (rather than cardboard or phenolic tube), are equipped with an explosive warhead, and are INTENTIONALLY fired into populated areas, they have a piss-poor record at actually killing anyone. 28 fatalities out of 1700+ launches.
There is a reason that billions of dollars have been spent by governments on equipping missiles with guidance systems. It makes it possible that they might actually hit their targets by more than dumb luck.
Pseudoephedrine is a component of many allergy preparations, both OTC and Rx. The "D" in products like Claritin-D and Allegra-D stands for "decongestant", which is almost always pseudoephedrine.
For myself, and a few other hay fever sufferers I have talked to, it seems to be the pseudoephedrine that actually provides the relief from the symptoms, not the antihistamine. It was cheaper to just buy plain old Sudafed or the generic equivalent, at least before these new bullshit regs went into effect. Now, pseudoephedrine products have skyrocketed in price, the number of pills available per package has been slashed dramatically, and you have to put yourself into a DEA database to get any! And if the pharmacist behind the counter doesn't like the look of you, you're screwed.
Nope, black powder is still available without a license, as long as it is sold for use in antique firearms (muzzleloaders, cannons, etc.). Because these weapons do not require a permit, essentially anyone can own them, and purchase powder for them. You can buy and store up to 50 lbs of the stuff with no license or permit required.
Ironically, it is illegal for rocketeers to purchase/use a single gram of black powder for our parachute ejection charges without a federal explosives permit. And today's court decision does nothing to change this. Fortunately there are alternatives for ejection charges which are axempt from BATFE regs.
and even more so coming on the anniversary of Robert Goddard's first successful launch of a liquid-fueled rocket, in 1926.
How hard would it be to synthesize ammonium perchlorate from APCP?
Pretty difficult. APCP consists of AP and a powdered metal (Al or Mg) locked in a matrix of synthetic rubber. The material has about the consistency of a pencil eraser. Anything that would dissolve away the rubber binder would most likely react with the AP.
Besides, AP itself was not regulated by the BATFE, except for a VERY finely granulated (If it is not overly difficult, the BATF has every reason to be worried that mass distribution of this without licensing could open a channel for acquiring explosives materials domestically and in bulk under the guise of "hobbyist".
First of all, this whole court decision was based on the fact that APCP is NOT an explosive. Even contained in a sealed metal pipe, it is pretty worthless for building a bomb. And second, these motors will not exactly be "mass distribution" type items you will find on the shelves at Walmart or whatever. Purchase will STILL require certification through one of the 2 national rocketry organizations (NAR or Tripoli), HAZMAT shipping (which can only go to a valid address, not a PO box) and legally using them still requires airspace waivers from the FAA.
It wouldn't be the first time -- pseudoephedrine can be readily broken down to ephedrine, which is one of the components needed for methanphetamine production (and derivatives).
Which makes for a major PITA for law-abiding citizens who now have to get the 3rd degree from a pharmacist to get a pack of allergy pills. Meanwhile, the meth keeps pouring in from the "superlabs" south of the border. At least we're all safe from those evil packages of Sudafed, though!
Actually, compared to the Saturn V, the shuttle stack seems to jump off the pad.
The Saturn V seemed to take an eternity to clear the tower.
Fat Man, the plutonium bomb dropped on Nagasaki, fissioned perhaps 20% of the plutonium, and converted around 1 GRAM of that mass into energy. The fission products and unfissioned plutonium came down as radioactive fallout.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Man
Little Boy, the uranium bomb dropped on Hiroshima, was even less efficient.
Try to imagine a TubGIRLcycle....
The heatshield incident on Glenn's flight doesn't count as a failure, because the heatshield didn't actually come loose, and Glenn was never in any danger from it.
One of the switches that detected landing beg deployment failed, causing a false telemetry indication.
...with the exception of Gemini, which had no failures at all in its ten whole launches.
No failures on Gemini?
What would you call the stuck thruster on Gemini 8, causing the spacecraft to tumble out of control, nearly killing the crew, and requiring an emergency re-entry?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_8
Very similar to the way that the "street value" of seized drugs are reported after a bust.
If a large pot grow gets busted, the total crop gets valued as if it were broken down into tens of thousands of nickel bags and sold at retail.
And with all the ongoing deforestation, we need less and less CO2 to nourish trees that aren't there anymore, right?
One of those magnets that attracts aluminum, titanium, and other materials commonly used to build satellites, right?
Couldn't an argument be made that tamperproof screws constitute some sort of protection mechanism that would fall under the DMCA?
Hell, lawyers have argued stupider things before...
That's why I just tagged this story "takeoffyouhosers"....
Unfortunately, natural selection will manifest itself (in the form of excess deaths from preventable diseases) on the CHILDREN of this group.
The vast majority of the parents responsible were vaccinated themselves, and would have the immunity that their children will lack.
Growing pot will generally result in a charge of "manufacturing a controlled substance", which is much more serious than possession with intent. Same charges as if you were running a meth lab.
In most states, having a stash of more than an ounce, or keeping it in more than one baggie, is enough for a "Possession with Intent to Distribute" charge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQr9ezr8UeA
Not out of context, just not part of the 2008 election campaign.
I would suspect that you could live for up to several minutes after being shot in the heart. You wouldn't even lose consciousness until your brain was sufficiently deprived of oxygen, which could take many seconds....
What he really should do is grow a pair, and use his position as an incredible athlete to speak out against the persecution of pot smokers.
His performance in Beijing totally DESTROYS all the standard "potheads are losers who will never amount to anything" line of bullshit that we have been spoonfed for years.
He should also tell Kellogg's cereal to go fuck themselves, and seek sponsorship deals from EZ-Wider and Dominos Pizza. :)