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- Newsgroups: sci.space
- Path: sparky!uunet!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!nsisrv!resolve!xrcjd
- From: xrcjd@resolve.gsfc.nasa.gov (Charles J. Divine)
- Subject: Re: Home made rockets
- Message-ID: <1992Aug12.211654.23731@nsisrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>
- Sender: usenet@nsisrv.gsfc.nasa.gov (Usenet)
- Nntp-Posting-Host: resolve.gsfc.nasa.gov
- Organization: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD
- References: <BsMIC9.29z@zoo.toronto.edu> <1992Aug10.201804.15953@hal.com>
- Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 21:16:54 GMT
- Lines: 56
-
- In article <1992Aug10.201804.15953@hal.com> bobp@hal.com (Bob Pendelton) writes:
- >From article <BsMIC9.29z@zoo.toronto.edu>, by henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer):
- >> In article <1992Aug6.182520.18534@dartvax.dartmouth.edu> Frederick.A.Ringwald@dartmouth.edu (Frederick A. Ringwald) writes:
- >>>> I have recently got into the field of making home-made rockets ...
- >>>
- >>>What you describe doing is amazingly dangerous. If you persist in it, I
- >>>hope you do get caught and arrested, as you are a public menace, if
- >>>you're still alive to read this post!
- >>
- >> What I posted the last time this came up:
- >
- >> In article <1175@esunix.UUCP> bpendlet@esunix.UUCP (Bob Pendleton) writes:
- >>>If you're not a pro, DON'T try it. It just isn't as simple as it
- >>>looks.
- >>
- >> I'd revise that slightly: if you're not a pro, don't try it unless you
- >> are prepared to turn yourself into at least a semi-pro first.
- >
- >Sheesh! I hardly ever read this list any more. So I decide to read it
- >while waiting for a build and find something I wrote 2.5 years agoing
- >being quoted. Never underestimate the memory of the net.
- >
- >There is one other danger to consider. Even if you become a pro or
- >semi-pro, you may inspire non-pros to blow their hands off.
- >
- >During my teenage basement bomber phases (an amazing number of bright
- >kids go through this phase, I think of it as evolution in action) I
- >used carefully prepared propellants and wound paper tubes. My
- >failures burned and made loud *pops*. Some other kids in the
- >neighborhood "copied" me. They were not nearly as careful as I was.
- >One kid lost most of a hand and part of his face.
- >
- >There are many levels of danger to building home made rockets.
-
- While I commend your advice to learn what you're doing before
- engaging in building rockets, I can't endorse your warning to not
- try lest you inspire the less qualified to imitate.
-
- Fools have been inventing ways to harm and kill themselves for
- some time now. By your reasoning I should give up skiing, because
- while I'm good, others aren't and I just might inspire that 16
- year old beginner to try Superstar at Killington and put
- themselves into the local hospital with multiple fractures.
- Similarly others should give up all other dangerous activities.
- And, for that matter, let's outlaw rockets in general. They
- can be dangerous in the wrong hands -- and the best professionals
- will inspire the less qualified to try their hand.
-
- I recommend _educating_ the public about the dangers of
- rocketry et al. Getting them involved _responsibly_ if they
- want to get involved. Isn't there an American Model Rocketry
- association that does just that?
-
-
- --
- Chuck Divine
-