lajoswinkler

- No actual rockets, please. We don't need them. A balloon will carry the payload all by itself rather quickly without jerky accelerations and allows us do dangle Jeb like that Lego figurine in the blue void, on a stick in front of a camera. - Just an example illustration of the final thing I'd love to see. The trip is what matters a lot. - All the things anyone donates should be returned to the owners, of course. - Metal-acid (Zn+HCl is very cost effective and the metal can be regenerated) reaction's fumes have to be chilled and filtered through a column of water and then dried with 2x the length of a desiccant. Calcium chloride granules in a long tube or two smaller tubes is also very cost effective and easily obtainable. All that removes HCl aerosol, water vapor and most of arsine. - Important thing has to be considered at all times: everyone involved in the release of the probe has to be grounded. Static electricity builds up easily with large balloons if the weather is fair. Large charge densities can occur, leading to sparks upon contact and balloon explosion. Chances for something like that are slim, but why teasing the devil, right? Avoiding the trouble is easy as strapping yourself with a cable touching your skin, or simply by laying down aluminium foil connected to a water pipe and having the setup on such plateau.

http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/07/17/the-dual-personality-of-comet-67pc-g/ Wow.

Wow. Imagine if those rats would escape from the lab. Another plague.

Regarding the funding, I've talked with my pal about Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Kickstarter works for a few countries. Indiegogo accepts money from all around the world. I'll explore this further in the next 24 hours. Let's not rush anything.

Why do you think an envelope is needed? We're talking about a simple weather balloon. I bet it could be done using a large wedding balloon (that's something I'm currently planning to test) and still reach at least 20 km using hydrogen. We don't need to go super high in order do get nice shots. The easiest source of hydrogen would be a welder's gas tank. Electrolysis is out of the question because it's slow and can't build up pressure. Zinc-acid or aluminium-base reaction can produce lots of pressurized gas, but purification is needed in order to save the balloon from reacting with the corrosive mist. Video... if we use an 808 camera (plenty of info here), it's simple as inserting a MicroSD card inside. Those cameras can stay alive for more than 2 hours, which is probably more than enough if the ascent rate of the balloon is sufficient, which is a must because you don't want the probe to wander around the country. The trick with 808 cameras is that there is a ton of versions available, each with its own level of quality. There's a whole 808 camera community of enthusiasts out there. It was just a suggestion. It would be very difficult to organize a successful stream online. There's a ton of problems, and I'm sure the equipment would be rather heavy, requiring a larger and a lot more expensive balloon. If you want to explore that possibility futher, go for it. Images can be extracted as screenshots from a HD video. No need for expensive stuff like GoPro. "Capsule" is anything that houses equipment. It doesn't have to be pressurized. Why do you think there's no value over data recording? I'd love to see some numbers next to Jebediah, especially when they get serious with low temperature and pressure, and increased cosmic rays would be fun, too. Live stream would be very cool and Kerbal for all of us to enjoy, but I seriously doubt it will be feasible so I'm not going to push it forward. Take a look at the "crappy keychain camera". It's #16, the best one at the time of releasing this video. Not so crappy, IMO, and a lot more cheaper than the hyped GoPro. Balloons don't do suborbital trajectories. They're buoyant objects, not missiles. Model rocket engine? Where? You do realize that would be a huge complication and would probably fail? I'd like this to be redundant and tough as much as possible. Simplicity is the key.

It's difficult to say. The shadows can trick you into thinking it tumbles. The photos might be looking almost directly along the rotational axis.

If by immortality you mean living indefinitively long unless you're killed in some way, then probably yes one day. The main problem will be malignant diseases and cerebral degradation.

What chemical reactions? Jupiter and Saturn are mostly helium and hydrogen. Helium is, for all intents and purposes, inert, and hydrogen has nothing to react with. No and no. They're big blobs of stuffed gases and can't be destroyed by any means possible.

We'll also need programmers for the electronics. Someone who could write a simple program for the Arduino elements, to gather sensor data every few seconds so it could be put into the video clip at the end. I don't have experience with this, so anyone willing to take care of it would be welcome.

I'll take a look at Kickstarter tommorow, be patient. But first things first - we need to gather people (this thread is only several hours old, let's not speed things up) and talk things through before actually starting any funding operation. Haste will get us nowhere. I expect this to be done over these summer months, before autumn. QuesoExplosivo, I was talking about cheap sensors like this one. http://www.dx.com/p/arduino-digital-temperature-humidity-sensor-module-121350#.U8cnTvmSwcY It's just an example I found after few seconds of searching on DX. There are probably even better options. The more data is gathered, the better. All but the Geiger counter come as very lightweight, simple Arduino elements, and the Geiger itself is quite small, too. I think one could assemble this for under 50 USD. eBay offers tons of tubes, and there are readily available schematics online. I'll leave that to you. Regarding hydrogen, producing it is a piece of cake, but producing copious amounts of reasonably pure and dry hydrogen isn't. Are you sure you could do that? Making a probe from scratch, the launch mechanism and launching (+tracking, +retrieving) might be too much for one person. Next, the capsule. Any recommendations? If several people work on each part while communicating to ensure compatibility, the project becomes stronger. After everything is made, it can be shipped to the person who will release the probe. More people able to do physics calculations are needed and welcome. UpsilonAerospace, go for it! It looks great.

You might want to check out archive.org. They should have high quality video of such things. There are obscure accounts on YouTube with such footage. It's not easy to find it, as Google obviously thinks they know better than the user searching for something.

Just to clarify, I'm not one of those fanatics who disprove differences between two sexes. There are physiological and psychological differences which are innate and normal, and they extend to the society, contributing to gender roles. Those roles weren't totally invented. They have a biological basis, but the society has amplified them and used them to oppress. As modern humans we should strive towards a more equal society based on reason where things like "men don't cry" and "if you cry, you're not a real man" are laughed upon.

I'm opening this because I'm seeing what's currently happening with the microsatellite project. Herding a bunch of cats, as one member said. If anything actually happens with that project, I'll be glad to help, but so far it seems the logistics are seriously failing. So here's a thread dedicated to my early recommendation for boosting the public image and raising awareness about KSP for later projects. First watch this popular video. It's been quite a while since the general public has started releasing camera and GPS equipped stratospheric balloons. It is not something you need an institute or an university for anymore, but it's not a piece of cake, either. Goal To send a figurine of Jebediah Kerman into the stratosphere, strapped in front of a camera, dangling high above the troposphere, and show images and video to the world. Propositions - The most realistic Jeb out there is Shapeways' Jeb, made by Squad. I think it would be the best to use this one, and not stuff like custom made plushies and crochet toys. After all, this is Jeb in the command chair. He might as well be on the EAS-1 External Command Seat, commanding the flight. - Sending the balloon equipped with a GPS tracker and camera recording would require tracking the craft and travelling to retrieve it, then releasing the video to the public. That's how it's usually done. A lot more complicated and expensive, but cooler thing to do would be a live stream equipment, even if the resulting image is poor. I seriously doubt we could do it, but let's keep it in mind. Who knows? - Basic sensor instruments onboard: barometer, thermometer, hygrometer, Geiger counter. Info - Radiosondes are relatively cheap, but someone knowledgeable in electronics could do it using Arduino. - Retroreflector is a must, but it's easily made from aluminized plastic foil and lightweight panels. - Helium is too expensive; hydrogen offers more lift and is completely safe if safety precautions are made. - HD, high quality 808 keychain micro camera can be bought for less than 50 USD and offers very nice video; GoPro and other expensive fancy stuff isn't needed. - Capsule needs a heater which can be based on sodium acetate pad because it's made out of styrofoam which is a great thermal insulator. - Real classic parachute is not needed as it would greatly increase the horizontal travel. A ribbon would be enough, if not simply relying on the torn balloon. Terminal speeds of a lightweight styrofoam probe and retroreflector would be tolerable. This would benefit a lot of people: Squad, people in charge of the microsatellite project, sponsors. The total cost should be well under 1000 USD, probably less than 500 USD. The funds could be raised easily. I'm not capable of executing this flight or even preparing the hardware. I live on a coast, so there's a large chance of the probe falling into the sea or wandering off to another country and I'm not willing to go and wander the mountains of Bosnia. This needs to be released inland, without nearby mountains or large lakes. I'm just proposing this and can't actually do anything around the hardware. Someone else should take care of it. I'm sure even Squad alone could hire someone to do it. There are companies out there that did the same, sending drink cans, chairs... So, let's discuss... and try to be serious.

Oh god, this is from my national TV... She was pregnant back then. Ironically, she was talking about oxygen and how we need it to live. I know, right? Herding cats. I think I'm going to start another mini-project.

If the engine is in a plastic high pressure pipe (the ones used to transport water) which is inserted into the rocket, that's ok. If the engine casing itself is made out of aluminium, problems will occur, so I advise against it. Also, in case something goes horribly wrong, you don't want a pipe bomb made of metal. You should make your rocket out of cardboard or lightweight, thin and sturdy plastic material, and your engines out of those thick plastic pipes. It would be very bad if your rocket's parachute fails (or you don't install it, which is often illegal) and an aerodynamic metal pipe is hurling towards the ground. It's a missile, and the speeds involved are insane. Basically, this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCgNWiBzvYo The sound of such thing is very creepy. It whistles, just like a real missile.

No one will ever be allowed to do something like that. Do you seriously think NASA would allow fooling around with vehicles capable of delivering a warhead? The things you'll hear on this thread...

Aluminium will react with moist nitrates over the time, especially with ammonium nitrate. That can even be dangerous if the metal is in a granular or powdery form. For nozzles, you can expect corrosion upon longer storage (weeks, months). If you can devise a system which screws the nozzles onto the engines before the launch, it will probably work fine. Expect destruction of the nozzle aperture after few launches. Copper is heavy and might be corroded by such mixtures, too. Unless you're planning on going towards serious heights and engine powers, dry and recinforced gypsum nozzles are perfectly fine and allow kilometres of flight.

Of course not. Not even the Chinese, let alone any hoax group such as Mars One.

Depends what kind of bacteria and what kind of plant. Heating is not a problem. Getting rid of heat is.

Gypsum is ok, but it's for single use. In rare occasions, two uses. Concrete is tougher, but takes longer to cure. Steel requires a lathe and is heavy, so that's for serious, large rockets. So fat gypsum is my favorite. If properly made (it can be reinforced using nails and wire) and dried, it's tough enough, it's lightweight and it can be machined using standard available borers. You can even make a crude de Laval nozzle. Some people use bentonite clay and ram it with a hammer, but they get a porous plug that easily chips away and will probably be pooped out as schrapnels when a more serious engine starts working.

Hey, does anyone want to split to another project, actually doable during summer, such as using Jeb's figurine on a stratospheric balloon? I mean the realistic folks around here. Not the ones who want to get a sample of cheese from the Moon. PM me or whatever, so we can make another thread.

Procedural Parts FTW. Unfortunately, I haven't taken screenshots after that. There was plenty of experimenting with the abort system, though.

Then sugar (sucrose), potassium nitrate, a pinch of iron(III) oxide and maybe a spoonful of honey or something similar, sugary and gooey like corn syrup. We don't have corn syrup around here so I used honey. It can be a VERY powerful and very safe propellant, but its quality depends not only on the contents, but also on the timing, stirring, curing, all to avoid drying, cracks, etc.... It's a craft. Just don't melt the stuff. Not only the contents don't make a homogeneous solution, but hotspots can turn your fun into a premature engine test while still in pot. Use water. It takes longer, but the quality of the material is superb. It is hygroscopic, though, so the engines need air tight storage immediately after you make them. What you want is something with the consistency of warm plasticine when loading and ramming it into the engine chamber, which cures as it cools down, forming somewhat brittle material. No. The reaction rate is pathetic, the mixture is deliquescent and mostly produces just smoke. On longer storage, side reactions occur. Sugar degradation, ammonia release, cracks.

I like the idea. The satellite might have an unusual shape, forcing you to think how to get it into orbit.

You need a camera and a GPS tracker to retrieve the payload once it bursts in stratosphere and falls down who knows where. The capsule must endure conditions like -70 °C, which isn't a big deal as it sounds, but you want your camera window without fog and still not freeze. You need hydrogen or helium and gas money for the car. I'm actually planning to do it this summer or maybe autumn. Still planning, though. Yes, it would be the proper way to start the imagination and boost the public image, but as you see, people around here are more concerned over ion engines and landing on Phobos. Now imagine this with Jeb instead.