Author: John

Home Hydrogen Fueled Rocket

rocket

I think I might have mentioned this a while ago but it’s cool enough that I can do it again.

Hydrogen Fuel Rocket
Now you can generate the fuel of the future and launch a rocket into orbit! The Estes hydrogen fuel technology uses water to generate the hydrogen fuel needed to blast a sleek rocket 200 feet into the sky. This set comes complete with a hydrogen fuel generating launch system, a four-point system check, a remote push-button ignition, propellant crystals, mixing bottle and two ready to fly rockets. Minor assembly acquired. Requires 6 D-size alkaline batteries – sold separately. Recommended for ages 10 and up with adult supervision for those under 12.

  • Length: Launch Platform: 20.5 in. (52 cm); Helicopter Rocket: 11 in. (28 cm); Bounce Rocket: 11 in. (28 cm)
  • Recovery: Helicopter and bounce
  • Fins: Plastic and foam
  • Maximum Altitude: 200 ft. (61 M)
  • Notes: Requires 6 D-size alkaline batteries – not included

Estes Hydrogen Fuel Rocket

rockets, hobby, hydrogen, aerospace, kids

Arizona Wildfires

FIRE!!!

Pretty cool, depending on the time of day you can see a nice time laps of the fires in Arizona.
This is from the GOES-12 satellite in the visible spectrum, so it will be dark about half the time. Arizona is -7GMT so if you catch it in the morning and evening it should be pretty cool.

NASA/MSFC Interactive GOES Data Selector
Arizona, wildfire, satellite, weather

Chronic Candy

Pot Sucker

Ugh, this is like having the taste of whisky and none of the effect. Yuck.

The confections are legal, because they are made with hemp oil, a common ingredient in health food, beauty supplies and other household products. The oil imparts a marijuana’s grassy taste but not the high.

Pot-flavored candy takes a licking – Addictions – MSNBC.com
pot, candy, dumb

(Thank you Kevin, this has been… enlightning…)

Fuel Cell Powered Robot

Nice Bot

This is pretty cool, too but it’s yet another kit that I won’t be buying any time soon, a little pricey at $25,000US. The fuel cell is powered by a Hydrogen gas cylinder that is actualy inside the robot so you can run it totaly without wires.

Robot equipped with the fuel cell

Some more translated links to the Speecys company.
What is Speecy?
Press release

Here is a nice shot of the fuel cell itself.
Fuel Cell

technology, Japan, fuel cell, science, robotics

Space Ring Could Shade Earth and Stop Global Warming

Ringed Earth

This plan reminds me of a book by Piers Anthony called “Rings of Ice”. Things didn’t work out all that well, the Earth ended up getting flooded with all the comet ice that was used to build the rings.
The idea in sounds too close to the ice ring idea to me. Putting lots of little hunks of stuff in orbit to me sounds like a big mistake. Wouldn’t the rings be right where all of our telecom satellites are at right now? Plus as it might light up the night time sky as much as a full moon, wouldn’t that have an effect on the animals (and us!) that live here?
As long as we’re taking about potential bad things to do to our home world, what about building shadow squares? At least those would be farther away from the Earth and thus out of the way of most things we put in to orbit. We might figure out a way to turn them off or somthing if they end up working a little too well…
Now, if someone wants to build a sun screen to put over Phoenix I’d be all over that. It’s &%#% hot here!

Space Ring Could Shade Earth and Stop Global Warming

space, crazy, science, mad, evil