Comments on: 0 to 60 in 5 Seconds: On a Bicycle http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/2567 Independent Tech News and Product Reviews from former VP and head of CNET.com and Longtime Computer Shopper Columnist, Alice Hill author of the popular "Hard Edge" column. Originally named AliceandBill.com. Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:16:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: epdm roofing http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/2567#comment-54081 Wed, 02 Aug 2006 17:29:39 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/2567#comment-54081 epdm roofing <a href="http://epdm-roofing.enacre.net" rel="nofollow">epdm roofing</a> epdm roofing epdm roofing

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]]> by: Perros http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/2567#comment-10361 Fri, 27 Jan 2006 08:41:29 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/2567#comment-10361 This guy designed the rocket for SpaceShipOne... not sure how much of a 'heads-up' he needs :-p -Perros- This guy designed the rocket for SpaceShipOne… not sure how much of a ‘heads-up’ he needs :-p

-Perros-

]]> by: Mikey http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/2567#comment-10250 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 14:32:19 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/2567#comment-10250 Alice, I believe Mythbusters might have given this guy a heads up (with the engineering aspect) when they built a much larger rocket last year. They were trying to validate a myth that the modern solid-fueled rocket may have been invented by a Civil war officer who used available engineering and equipment to produce a missle (with warhead) that -could- have been a true wartime weapon of mass destruction. The Mythbusters crew changed the myth's description slightly. When they found that liquid oxygen would have been impossible to obtain using then available equipment, they went with an oxidizer that they thought was available: liquid Nitrous Oxide. This allowed them to produce an oxidizer in liquid form, and it also did not require the extreme pressure needed to keep the gas in liquid form. (N02 will compress to liquid at much lower pressures than LOX, pounds of PSI instead of hundreds of PSI) For fuel, the Mythbusters used Paraffin wax (inside the rocket's motor). A large hollow cylinder of Paraffin, inside the steel pipe that is the rocket's body. The other significant thing was the rocket's thrust chamber, and it was made of the one thing available back then that could withstand the intense heat of the burn. Graphite. A large cube of graphite was shaped in a turning lathe to an internal hollow shape that -is- what rocket motors look like on the inside, in inverted bowl shape with a small perfectly positioned fuel inlet at the top and a wide conical exhaust at the bottom. It worked so well that they nearly burnt down the shop. They were somewhat taken aback by the power of the burn, they hadn't expected a strong burn for the first test, and no one did the basic math of how much energy they were getting ready to release. Eyebrows did get singed. Alice, I believe Mythbusters might have given this guy a heads up (with the engineering aspect) when they built a much larger rocket last year. They were trying to validate a myth that the modern solid-fueled rocket may have been invented by a Civil war officer who used available engineering and equipment to produce a missle (with warhead) that -could- have been a true wartime weapon of mass destruction.
The Mythbusters crew changed the myth’s description slightly. When they found that liquid oxygen would have been impossible to obtain using then available equipment, they went with an oxidizer that they thought was available: liquid Nitrous Oxide. This allowed them to produce an oxidizer in liquid form, and it also did not require the extreme pressure needed to keep the gas in liquid form. (N02 will compress to liquid at much lower pressures than LOX, pounds of PSI instead of hundreds of PSI)
For fuel, the Mythbusters used Paraffin wax (inside the rocket’s motor). A large hollow cylinder of Paraffin, inside the steel pipe that is the rocket’s body.
The other significant thing was the rocket’s thrust chamber, and it was made of the one thing available back then that could withstand the intense heat of the burn. Graphite. A large cube of graphite was shaped in a turning lathe to an internal hollow shape that -is- what rocket motors look like on the inside, in inverted bowl shape with a small perfectly positioned fuel inlet at the top and a wide conical exhaust at the bottom.
It worked so well that they nearly burnt down the shop.
They were somewhat taken aback by the power of the burn, they hadn’t expected a strong burn for the first test, and no one did the basic math of how much energy they were getting ready to release. Eyebrows did get singed.

]]> by: Mighk Wilson http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/2567#comment-10249 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 14:10:42 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/2567#comment-10249 Bicyclists are NOT at greater risk than motorcyclists. Motorcycling is far deadlier, with 8.8 deaths per million hours of activity, while bicyclists experience only 0.26 deaths per million hours. These numbers were worked up by an independent risk management company in 1993. Bicyclists are NOT at greater risk than motorcyclists. Motorcycling is far deadlier, with 8.8 deaths per million hours of activity, while bicyclists experience only 0.26 deaths per million hours. These numbers were worked up by an independent risk management company in 1993.

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