Posted on 03/07/2022 7:25:59 PM PST by SunkenCiv
It turns out that many rocket fuels are basic chemicals that are used in everyday life, which means you can find them in regular stores. But you shouldn't be under any illusion that these would work or be a good idea for a rocket.
A better way to build rockets is to buy pre-made solid rocket motors, and then get certified by experts for bigger and bigger rocket motors https://www.nar.org/.Why Many Household Chemicals Are Also Rocket Fuels | February 24, 2022 | Scott Manley
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
This news update comes a bit late because I need to tackle the massive effects and implications of Vladimir Putin ordering Russian armed forces to invade Ukraine.
Frankly it's a mess and it's going to affect a lot of space activities for years to come, but let's temper this with the rest of the space newsThe Ways Russia's Invasion Ukraine Will Affect Space Programs - Deep Space Updates Feb 27th | February 27, 2022 | Scott Manley
The late president of the Sacramento L5 Society stated that the best combo generally available for the amateur high-powered rocket builder is seven parts hydrogen peroxide (a monopropellant but used here as the oxidizer) to one part kerosene. Never met him, but I really liked that guy. He was planning a regeneratively cooled engine using this chemical combo when he, uh, had his fatal accident.
When The Terminator was in theaters in 1984, many viewers went to mix Kyle’s, “Shopping List,” in attempts to make something go boom. Moth balls, corn syrup and ammonia.
I was thinking the same thing. Hydrogen peroxide is cheap.
I don’t have any potassium nitrate in the kitchen, but you can buy it in 20 lb bags on the internet if you want to go on the FBI’s watch list.
“Hydrogen peroxide is cheap.”
Not 90% peroxide. Quite hard to get since terror groups use it to make “the mother of satan” bombs.
It’s generally too diluted.
Have to go to the hair care stores.
(I’m not a terrorist, but learned to make bombs as part of a program to protect synagogues. Lots of home explosives have vey distinct smells. We made small amounts to learn to detect them.)
I remember an episode of Hogan’s Heroes where Carter tries to make an explosive by mixing Chlorine with Bleach. Don’t know if I’d try it in real life. I think the episode was “German Bridge is falling down.
Whoops! That should be Ammonia and Bleach.
His accident consisted of inadvertent ignition while doing his own distillation of hydrogen peroxide in his garage. It really sucked to learn about his end, but as the saying goes, he was (except for that last part) doing what he loved.
40% solution can generally be found at food service suppliers, it’s used for sanitizing and as you might guess, it dissolves organic materials from dishes and cookware. I’d guess he was using something like that for starters.
I wouldn’t transport a container of that in a vehicle unless I had A) a pickup truck bed to put it in and B) a low speed route home so I could get it stopped and run if I needed to in a hurry. :^)
Ignition!: An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants (Rutgers University Press Classics)
https://www.amazon.com/Ignition-Informal-History-Liquid-Propellants-ebook/dp/B076838QS2
A good read on the history of the search for rocket fuels. Lots of things burn. Some explode. The trick is to get it lit without the bang and then to burn steadily.
You can probably find a pdf on the net.
Thanks.
Why You Should Never Mix Bleach and Ammonia
https://www.healthline.com/health/bleach-and-ammonia
Accidental mix of bleach and acid kills Buffalo Wild Wings employee
https://cen.acs.org/safety/consumer-safety/Accidental-mix-bleach-acid-kills/97/i45
Ooh, good idea! Of course, too much used on the scalp makes the hair fall out, as Jean Harlow learned the hard way.
Straight ETOH dumped on a pile of table salt makes a nice “flashpot” type poof, if an old TV show can be believed. Naturally, use protective eyewear and some kind of tough bowl.
HOW TO DRINK EVERCLEAR (AND NOT DIE) | Slightly Cultured
Premiered June 11, 2021
Slightly Cultured
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPV0SST4p80
What can happen when you drink Everclear
January 20, 2019
K-Train 713
https://youtu.be/B5Zemxnx7e0
Will an Engine Run on Everclear Fumes? Let’s find out!
October 30, 2017
Project Farm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XB2MeNgVW0
Reasons why liquid anhydrous ammonia fuel chosen for the X-15? Has it been used in other rocket engines?
Asked 4 years, 6 months ago
Active 7 months ago
Viewed 8k times
https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/22758/reasons-why-liquid-anhydrous-ammonia-fuel-chosen-for-the-x-15-has-it-been-used
The story of Neil Armstrong’s X-15 Test Flight that Bounced Off the Atmosphere
By Dario Leone
Apr 29 2021
https://theaviationgeekclub.com/the-story-of-neil-armstrongs-x-15-test-flight-that-bounced-off-the-atmosphere/
https://spacecenter.org/first-photo-taken-from-space/
[snip] On Oct. 24, 1946, soldiers and scientists at White Sands Missile Range launched a V-2 missile carrying a 35-millimeter motion picture camera which took the first shots of Earth from space. These images were taken at an altitude of 65 miles, just above the accepted beginning of outer space. The film survived the crash landing because it was encased in a steel cassette. [/snip]
I used to buy it at the feed store for .60/lb when I was a kid. Cheap way to get into mischief.
Don’t try it in real life it’s poisonous. Extremely poisonous!
I put some cleaner in my toilet and, not realizing it had bleach in it, I added some ammonia because the first solution wasn’t working on the mineral buildup.
It started creating fumes immediately. I flushed immediately and just barely inhaled some fumes and it made me short of breath for quite a while. If I had taken a full breath of it I’m sure it would have put me down. Maybe permanently.
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