Science Fun

For the last two weeks, our series on Rocketry and the Apollo spacecraft was place on hold while we focused on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. This entire series of posts on rocketry and the focus of the Apollo Saturn V rocket were enhanced by the occurrence of the anniversary of this historic event. We now resume our regular mission of the study of the systems of the Apollo Saturn V, which we were previously about to begin.

Development on the Saturn V rocket was started in 1962 at the Marshall Spaceflight Center with the development and testing of the C1 – C4 rockets. The C-1 rocket became the Saturn 1 vehicle, the C-2 was dropped from production, the C-3 rocket was designed to use two F-1 engines in the first stage, four J-2 engines in the second stage and six RL-10 engines in the third. The C-3 rocket was originally going to be used by NASA in Earth Rendezvous missions. NASA soon began development on a larger and more powerful rocket, the C-4, which would use 4 F-1 engines on the first stage, and a modified C-3 as the second stage, and a third stage with a single J-2 engine.

As further developments and testing occurred, NASA realized that it was still in need of more power to move men and equipment to Earth orbit and beyond. Testing and development began on the C-5 rocket to provide the increased power and lifting capability needed for the Apollo missions. The C-5 rocket was designed as a three stage rocket that used 5 F-1 engines in the first stage, five J-2 engines for the second stage, and a third stage with a single J-2 engine. (We will look at the engines in a future post).

In 1963, NASA selected the C-5 rocket to be the one that would work for Apollo. It was renamed to the Saturn V and is the most powerful rocket built to carry man and equipment into space and beyond. The Apollo Saturn V rocket stood 363 feet tall, it had a base diameter of 33 feet without the fins and when fully fueled, it weighed in at 6.5 million pounds and had a payload capacity of 260,000 pounds. Join us next time as we explore the first stage of this mighty rocket!

Our word for the week is a phrase for the week, as there are two words to this one. What is a Real Number? A real number is used in mathematics and is any of the rational numbers (which include integers) and irational numbers. Real numbers exclude imaginary numbers that are found in complex numbers of the general form a + bi where i = V-1, although these do include a real component a.

Now, I will admit that I am rusty in the stuff I just wrote in the above paragraph. I am not a mathematicion and it was not my forte’ in college. Real Number was chosen at random from my Big Book of Science terms and definitions. I invite any of you math-a-holics to enlighten the rest of us with a laymens explanation of the above.

You often will hear different rules about things you should not do during a lighting storm, such as to talk on the phone, take a shower or bath, be outside, or be near windows.  On this day in weather history - 1997.  Aspen Park, CO.  A woman was at work when a thunderstorm came in during the afternoon - she was by the window watching the storm when she was struck by lightning as it passed through the office window.  She received minor injuries and was temporarily blinded for about 15 minutes.  Needless to say, she was a very frightened woman.  So, the next time it is thundering and lighting - stay away from the window as lighting can pass through it.  This data from the archives of the Weather Channel.

Natural disasters abound throughout the world and can strike at any place and at any time. The most common disasters are those associated with hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes, and earthquakes. On this day in history, July 28, 1976, a strong earthquake struck in China.

The earthquake measured between 7.8 and 8.2 on the Richter scale, and it flattened Tangshan, a Chinese industrial city with about one million people. An estimated 242,000 were killed, making the earthquake one of the deadliest in recorded history, surpassed only by the 300,000 who died in the 1737 Calcutta earthquake and the 830,000 thought to have perished in the 1556 China’s Shaanxi province quake. We will review what causes earthquakes in a future post. Information for today’s post from the History Channel archives.

On this day in 1954, the world’s first nuclear power generator began production of electricity in the Soviet Union. It was 25 years later that that Soviet Union would experience the first and worst potential hazard of nuclear technology when the Chernobyl plant suffered a meltdown that contaminated thousands of miles surrounding the site on April 26, 1986.

56 individuals died from this disaster and an estimated 600,000 were affected by the nuclear fallout and radiation exposure. The surrounding towns and communities are mostly uninhabited today due to the continued unhealthy levels of radiation. There is a 19 mile perimeter around the plant that is closed off and is a restricted area.

This has been a busy week at work and a not so good week in the weather department to get in all of the geocaching activities I had planned. I did get in one from a week ago and I had planned one in the middle of the week (it rained that day) and then I tried later in the week, but had a meeting at work.

A Week ago, my caching adventure was at Rock Pond in Troy, NH - an off the beaten path area that was busy with folks swimming on the 80 degree day. The cache fortunately was not on on or around the pond, I just used the pond as a starting point and for parking. The cache was a 1.7 mile hike down and old rail trail - flat and easy so I was able to move right along to get the cache and return before the thunderstorms started up.

The cacher before me that logged their find from a few days prior mentioned about the different wild life they saw along the way to the cache. The only thing I came away with (other than the exercise and finding the cache) was a Blue Jay feather - standing strait up in the middle of the trail. It would have been nice to see the loon and some deer, but I will find them along my hikes to other parts.

In days gone by, railroads must have been the key method of travel in these parts of New Hampshire as we have an abundance of these ‘rail trails’ to enjoy!