I will recreate operation Plumbob

[spaceman1999]

Well... after reading https://what-if.xkcd.com/35/ What if 35 on the xkcd website I became amazed by Operation plumbob (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plumbbob#Propulsion_of_steel_plate_cap) and want to recreate potato canon style! I will use a penny as the manhole cover and a pvc pipe as the tunnel. So... any recommendations as fuel or pvc thickness or anything else?

[lajoswinkler]

Two things come to my mind: pipe bomb and Darwin award.

[spaceman1999]

I'm planning on doing this in the middle of a large field near my house where I've set off many a potato canon before so it should be safe.

[lajoswinkler]

What will be the fuel that launches this thing?

[spaceman1999]

Possibly hairspray like a potato canon.

[lajoswinkler]

Oh, then you're fine. I thought you're going to use gunpowder.

[Javster]

I love the kid and the comments!

[Flymetothemun]

Spaceman, be sure to get yourself a hard hat. A 10-20 dollar hard hat is much cheaper than a 500+ dollar hospital bill.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=3M%20Hard%20Hat

It'd be a shame to see a 15 year-old going to the hospital over a penny fired from a potato gun. Then again, you could become the laughing stock of the neighbourhood.

[lajoswinkler]

What's the hard hat for? If he needs protection, it's a face shield...

[Flymetothemun]

What's the hard hat for? If he needs protection, it's a face shield...

There's a penny flying up. Unless it has enough velocity to escape the earth's gravity or reaches orbit, it must come back down. If there isn't any wind or it doesn't get high enough to reach the jetstream in the upper atmosphere, he could get konked in the head with the penny. Thus, hard hat. Although, a face shield could come in handy if he doesn't know what he's doing.

[lajoswinkler]

There's a penny flying up. Unless it has enough velocity to escape the earth's gravity or reaches orbit, it must come back down. If there isn't any wind or it doesn't get high enough to reach the jetstream in the upper atmosphere, he could get konked in the head with the penny. Thus, hard hat. Although, a face shield could come in handy if he doesn't know what he's doing.

The worst a penny can do is to hurt a bit.

[Flymetothemun]

The worst a penny can do is to hurt a bit.

Ah, it DID just occur to me that I might have been overestimating. Sorry for any time-wasting.

[The Fleet Master]

Lol the Orion Pusher Plate test, do tell me how it goes please.

[Camacha]

The worst a penny can do is to hurt a bit.

If you refrain from looking up, that is Eyes are squishy and vulnerable, so eye protection is advised in most scenerio's. Even though you have two, it is really nice to be able to see out of both.

[lajoswinkler]

If you refrain from looking up, that is Eyes are squishy and vulnerable, so eye protection is advised in most scenerio's. Even though you have two, it is really nice to be able to see out of both.

Hence the face shield I've recommended earlier.

[spaceman1999]

My dad has a few face shields and hard hats he said I could use them. This has given me the idea to launch a micro camera and see how high it gets!

[Camacha]

Hence the face shield I've recommended earlier.

It is typically one of those things you would rather wear 50 times without needing it than one time not when needing it. Not only are they valuable in catastrophic events, simply preventing dirt from getting stuck in your eye is something you learn to value as well

Edited July 4, 2014 by Camacha

[Brethern]

The worst a penny can do is to hurt a bit.

As long as it is fired straight up that is.

[NovaSilisko]

This has given me the idea to launch a micro camera several hundred fragments of a micro camera and see how high it gets!

Fixed it for you.

[lajoswinkler]

As long as it is fired straight up that is.

True, but I can't really see how one could unintentionally fire a coin into portion of his head protected by a hard hat. It would really have to be intentional.

Fixed it for you.

[KvickFlygarn87]

When you do test it, make sure to get it on tape; I WANT TO SEE IT.

[spaceman1999]

I will be doing this some time soon. This project is on hold for a bit while I plan this out with my father.

[NASAFanboy]

Do it with stolen/leftover/borrowed fireworks. They're in plentiful supply, and, if correctly modified, could create quite a boom with minimal risks.

[Flymetothemun]

Do it with stolen/leftover/borrowed fireworks. They're in plentiful supply, and, if correctly modified, could create quite a boom with minimal risks.

<SouthernRedneckVoice>

Ain't no borrowin' fireworks buddy. Either you get sumbody to give ya 'em or ya make up some pretty dang nice excuses. Ya better not be stealin' them fireworks either, if I see ya with some o' them stole fireworks i'm gonna be callin' the sheriff to take ya to ol' stoney lonesome.

</SouthernRedneckVoice>