[SKRIVA] Rymdraketen i Baltimore 1928
- From: Ahrvid Engholm <ahrvid@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "skriva@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <skriva@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 7 May 2013 15:21:35 +0200
Om en snubbe i Baltimore som 1928 byggde en egen rymdraket och var övertygad om
att han skulle kunna flyga till Venus:
http://io9.com/the-great-baltimore-space-program-of-1928-453865828
"The prehistory of spaceflight is filled with mad scientists. Some of their
work led directly to the development of space exploration...others had a much
weirder destiny. Such was the case with Robert Condit, who built a rocket in
1928 that he planned to fly from Baltimore to Venus.
Condit's spaceship was a 24-foot-long bullet made of angle iron and sailcloth.
It was constructed with the aid of brothers Harry B. and Sterling Uhler of
Baltimore-where the launch was to take place.
Apparently Condit, described as a "Miami chemist", had built an earlier rocket
in his home state. His goal had been Venus then, as well (the rocket was to
have been guided to the planet by "polarized magnetic controls").
The Baltimore rocket was fueled with 50 gallons of gasoline with eight steel
pipes for engines. The several layers of sailcloth that covered the rocket were
impregnated with varnish making an airtight shell "as brittle as glass." The
nose section unscrewed to allow the rocket's single passenger ingress. Inside
was a large tank of oxygen, a supply of concentrated food tablets and water in
1.5-inch pipes that lined the interior to save space. There were also a "couple
[of] flashlights and a first aid kit, and that was it." There were two glass
portholes, though there was no way to steer the rocket. He planned to hit Venus
by taking very careful aim at takeoff. In the nose was a 25-foot silk parachute
that the pilot could push out in order for the rocket to make a safe descent.
Inside was an air compressor run by a gasoline motor. This sprayed vaporized
fuel into the steel tubes. A spark plug in each, attached to a battery in the
ship, kept the gasoline burning.
It was estimated by Condit (described by Harry as "a mathematical wizard") that
if the ship could get off the ground and travel at 25,000 mph, it would "pull
out of the earth's gravity about 40 miles up and coast right on over to Venus."
Han hade kanske läst för många pulpmagasin...
--Ahrvid
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