Port-a-Potty launch

[Dave (imported)]

That's exactly what this is - a port-a-potty launch - with rockets, consider it rocket science for nerds.

With the exception of "almost" landing on a car, an "almost" flawless flight.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/0 ... ir=Science

THREE OAKS, Mich. (AP) — Mission accomplished! A group of rocket enthusiasts launched a porta-potty into the sky Saturday in southwestern Michigan. It made an arc and almost landed on a spectator's pickup truck, 2,000 feet away.

A group of Michiana Rocketry club members planned the project for more than two years. The club is trying to increase awareness of rocketry as a hobby and prove it's possible to turn a porta-potty into a rocket and launch it successfully.

The Herald Palladium newspaper says liftoff occurred in a soybean field near Three Oaks in Berrien County. About 30 people worked on the rocket, from engineers to sales people who lined up sponsors.

Rocket enthusiast Bob Bycraft says it was carefully planned. He says it wasn't "barnyard engineering."

[fhunter]

Wow.

"To boldly go, like no other man has gone before".

And "when Kerbal Space Program is not enough".

PS. Good engineering. I wonder, was it just engines? Or had it any control system to keep it stable?

[Riverwind (imported)]

I think the real Happy Pill here is that it was not loaded with cargo...Visions of vapor...a trail of...

River

[Dave (imported)]

...

PS. Good engineering. I wonder, was it just engines? Or had it any control system to keep it stable?

I wondered about that but I couldn't find the answer.

As for stability, it only need to become a ballistic projectile so as long as the rockets fired and it rose stable, then who cares how it landed.

And as for what RIVERWIND suggesting the best part was that it was empty, a full load in the outhouse would have made the center of gravity nearer the bottom and keep the port-a-potty stable in flight. I think. It's been a few years since I did ballistics for physics.

[C&TL2745 (imported)]

....

And as for what RIVERWIND suggesting the best part was that it was empty, a full load in the outhouse would have made the center of gravity nearer the bottom and keep the port-a-potty stable in flight. I think....

Aw fooey! Here I had visions of some unsuspecting fellow inside using it at the time of launch. Would have helped with any constipation problems he might have had.

Sandi

[Dave (imported)]

I watched "PUNKIN CHUNKIN? 2014 (in English that's Pumpkin Chunking) in which they launch pumpkins with Trebuchets, air cannons, fly-wheels, and catapults. I swear they'd try dynamite or black powder if the law would allow it but that kind of stuff is really restricted.

This year they tried to launch a car with a trebuchet (failed badly) and they also did an Outhouse.

Well, the OUTHOUSE simply collapsed and the wooden walls sailed fifty feet. The Toilet went farther but someone had used the Outhouse and as it flew, it drained in stinking splendor. They even yelled at each other as to who used it and why and the answer was (of course) "because I had to and it was better than the woods with this crowd."

No I don't know what a port-a-potty would do because those are molded plastic and not wood but I have see Port-a-potty's launched on some youtube.