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It doesn't take a rocket scientist........
limeygent
Posts: 3,217
Scientists at NASA built a gun specifically to launch standard 4 pound dead chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets and the space shuttle, all traveling at maximum velocity. The idea is to simulate the frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of the windshields.
British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the windshields of their new high speed trains. Arrangements were made, and a gun was sent to the British engineers.
When the gun was fired, the engineers stood shocked as the chicken hurled out of the barrel, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashed it to smithereens, blasted through the control console, snapped the engineer's back-rest in two, and embedded itself in the back wall of the cabin, like an arrow shot from a bow.
The horrified Brits sent NASA the disastrous results of the experiment, along with the designs of the windshield and begged the U.S. scientists for suggestions.
NASA responded with a one-line memo --
"Defrost the chicken." (True Story)
British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the windshields of their new high speed trains. Arrangements were made, and a gun was sent to the British engineers.
When the gun was fired, the engineers stood shocked as the chicken hurled out of the barrel, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashed it to smithereens, blasted through the control console, snapped the engineer's back-rest in two, and embedded itself in the back wall of the cabin, like an arrow shot from a bow.
The horrified Brits sent NASA the disastrous results of the experiment, along with the designs of the windshield and begged the U.S. scientists for suggestions.
NASA responded with a one-line memo --
"Defrost the chicken." (True Story)
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Lol!0
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Many years ago, when I was still learning things, we were given a lecture by a senior scientist from Rolls-Royce engines. He said that lobbing a 4 pound chicken into the engine was the standard test to check whether the engine could withstand a bird strike. He didn't mention a special gun for the purpose, though.0
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During the space race when they found out biros and other pens wouldn't work in zero gravity enviroments NASA spent millions on devising a pen that would.
The Soviets used pencils.
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For an intelligent species we're bloody stupid at times.0
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It's a nice urban myth, but it ain't quite the whole story. It wasn't NASA, but a private company called Fisher. They have since recouped their investment and much more besides because having a pen that can write upside down is a pretty marketable thing. If you want one, you get a one off the internet for between £10 and £20. As for the Russians, they gave up with pencils because disposing of the shavings without having bits floating around the space craft was proving too tricky. The Russian space programme quickly became one of the biggest buyers of Fisher Space Pens.RodneyCharltonTrotta said:During the space race when they found out biros and other pens wouldn't work in zero gravity enviroments NASA spent millions on devising a pen that would.
The Soviets used pencils.0 -
Kinda had your matches pissed on eh Rodders ;o)0
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Certainly made laugh, wife didn't understand it.0
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Urban myth I'm afraid, frozen or not its the same mass = same result.
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Yep urban myth - http://www.snopes.com/science/cannon.asp0
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That's what those who have rewritten history will have you believe to save their blushes. ;-)Stig said:
It's a nice urban myth, but it ain't quite the whole story. It wasn't NASA, but a private company called Fisher. They have since recouped their investment and much more besides because having a pen that can write upside down is a pretty marketable thing. If you want one, you get a one off the internet for between £10 and £20. As for the Russians, they gave up with pencils because disposing of the shavings without having bits floating around the space craft was proving too tricky. The Russian space programme quickly became one of the biggest buyers of Fisher Space Pens.RodneyCharltonTrotta said:During the space race when they found out biros and other pens wouldn't work in zero gravity enviroments NASA spent millions on devising a pen that would.
The Soviets used pencils.0 -
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Thanks Beds, hadn't seen that!Bedsaddick said:0 -
Me neither. Very good.Wheresmeticket? said:
Thanks Beds, hadn't seen that!Bedsaddick said:0 -
Snopes should be banned, they spoil so many good stories...legaladdick said:Yep urban myth - http://www.snopes.com/science/cannon.asp
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Has anyone ever met a rocket scientist ?
I was at a wedding last week & asked this bloke (about 30) what he did. He said he was a rocket scientist & I laughed.
But he really is, works in the Sevenoaks area. Seemed a totally normal guy to me ie not a "professor type".
I was amazed.0 -
Doesn't Dowie have qualifications that effectively make him a rocket scientist?
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A few of them in Sevenoaks with Fort Halstead being up the road.0
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So perhaps you're not that good at judging people's intelligence! ;-)Covered End said:Has anyone ever met a rocket scientist ?
I was at a wedding last week & asked this bloke (about 30) what he did. He said he was a rocket scientist & I laughed.
But he really is, works in the Sevenoaks area. Seemed a totally normal guy to me ie not a "professor type".
I was amazed.
I'm pretty sure it's just a mechanical engineering degree, which means he can work out how fast a shit goes down a pipe.man_at_milletts said:Doesn't Dowie have qualifications that effectively make him a rocket scientist?
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<blockquote class="Quote" rel="Covered End">Has anyone ever met a rocket scientist ?
I was at a wedding last week & asked this bloke (about 30) what he did. He said he was a rocket scientist & I laughed.
But he really is, works in the Sevenoaks area. Seemed a totally normal guy to me ie not a "professor type".
I was amazed.</blockquote>
My ex-girlfriend's brother was a rocket scientist. I believe he works for a private satellite company near Guildford.
Also not convinced by the mass thing with the jet. Imagine throwing a kilo lump of jelly at a window and a kilo house-brick. The hardness of the object and it's shape must have an impact???0 - Sponsored links:
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LOL. I googled him and up came a thread entitled '10 ugliest footballers'.Friend Or Defoe said:
So perhaps you're not that good at judging people's intelligence! ;-)Covered End said:Has anyone ever met a rocket scientist ?
I was at a wedding last week & asked this bloke (about 30) what he did. He said he was a rocket scientist & I laughed.
But he really is, works in the Sevenoaks area. Seemed a totally normal guy to me ie not a "professor type".
I was amazed.
I'm pretty sure it's just a mechanical engineering degree, which means he can work out how fast a shit goes down a pipe.man_at_milletts said:Doesn't Dowie have qualifications that effectively make him a rocket scientist?
He did work for BAE apparently. Perhaps he still should!
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man_at_milletts
Doesn't Dowie have qualifications that effectively make him a rocket scientist?.
No, he has qualifications that make you want to stick him in a rocket !0 -
Rearrange this well know phrase or saying :-))Granpa said:
man_at_milletts
Doesn't Dowie have qualifications that effectively make him a rocket scientist?.
No, he has qualifications that make you want to stick him in a rocket !
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I have, Mullard space centre at working, part of UCL.Covered End said:Has anyone ever met a rocket scientist ?
I was at a wedding last week & asked this bloke (about 30) what he did. He said he was a rocket scientist & I laughed.
But he really is, works in the Sevenoaks area. Seemed a totally normal guy to me ie not a "professor type".
I was amazed.
They make bits for staterlites0 -
Speaking of rocket science, this is pretty cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o8TssbmY-GM0 -
Speaking of rocket science. The space station has been visible overhead for the past couple of nights. Marginally beats train spotting.
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No Dowie has a face that was hit by a rocket.0
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I was told that "rocketry" is not a science at all, but a "technology", so rocket scientists are actually rocket technologists.
It's political correctness gone mad.
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Not exactly... when frozen the body would be solid, and therefore the whole mass of the bird would be focussed on the point of impact between body and screen, if not frozen - therefore liquid in the body such as water and blood would be in the liquid rather than solid state and therfore the body would be more floppy than solid, if you slowed down the time of impact there would be a lot more distortion in the body which would act to slow it down and spread the load across a larger area of impact, liquids would be expelled from the body (causing water and blood to splatter across the screen) and there would be less chance of it smashing the screen. So although you are correct that it will be the same mass, it will not be the same result.maybe_baby said:0 -
A much better way of saying what I was getting at!!!Chrispy51 said:
Not exactly... when frozen the body would be solid, and therefore the whole mass of the bird would be focussed on the point of impact between body and screen, if not frozen - therefore liquid in the body such as water and blood would be in the liquid rather than solid state and therfore the body would be more floppy than solid, if you slowed down the time of impact there would be a lot more distortion in the body which would act to slow it down and spread the load across a larger area of impact, liquids would be expelled from the body (causing water and blood to splatter across the screen) and there would be less chance of it smashing the screen. So although you are correct that it will be the same mass, it will not be the same result.maybe_baby said:0
http://youtu.be/THNPmhBl-8I
