EGAD
or, (de)mythologizing the fetish of placewherein our unlikely hero composes a series of
empirical geo-anthrospatial dispatches, aimed at establishing just where
he is, and perhaps even why it matters
Tentative as all such complex endeavours must be, the plan is to put the NASA Space Transportation System -- the Space Shuttle -- back in service tomorrow. Given the amount of engineering (both mechanical and procedural) that has gone into the return to flight, this may well be one of the safest manned space launches ever. True, I'd probably have been in less peril taking a walking tour of Gaza City than riding the Shuttle, but by the standards of spaceflight, that's good.
Pop quiz: to you, was that a revelation about spaceflight or about Gaza City?
The Space Shuttle came to mind this weekend during the Aquatennial fireworks display, as a barrage of blue sparks launched off the Central Avenue bridge. For many years I've tried to make a mental note whenever blue shows up in a fireworks show, because of a chemical connection to space travel. And possibly an economic one, although I've never been able to confirm that aspect.
The Space Shuttle uses two kinds of rocket engine for launch. The main engines (SSMEs) are your classic liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen system, a horrendously complex set of beasts. Then there are the Solid Rocket Boosters, glorified and meticulously constructed bottle-rockets, each filled with around 500 metric tonnes of fuel. The stuff comes in gigantic cylindrical blocks supposedly having roughly the consistency of a pencil eraser. The texture would be quite different, though, as the SRB fuel is essentially a gravel of ammonium perchlorate (an explosive in its own right, used here as a source of oxygen) and aluminum embedded in a rubber matrix. Literally rubber -- that's technically what the SRB is burning, although there is considerably more perchlorate by mass.
Some ages back, I read (probably on Usenet, although Google Groups has thus far failed to unearth the post I'm thinking of) that the Space Shuttle program poses something of a difficulty for the fireworks industry. Supposedly, ammonium perchlorate happens to be one of a very few substances able to produce a good, bright blue flame, and when launching in quick succession the Space Shuttle SRBs consume most of the nation's ammonium perchlorate production capacity, driving up the price. Thus, the writer claimed, blue firework explosions had become quite rare in the late 80s.
I don't find this story especially plausible, as it happens. Ammonium perchlorate has various industrial applications, and is consumed in large quantities in the production and maintenance of solid rocket motors for the military, as well. Then again, the Henderson, Nevada explosion in 1988 suggests that the SRBs consumed at least some respectable portion of perchlorate production at that time. The past two years, with the Shuttle fleet grounded again, would be a good test. Has anyone noticed a significant increase in the amount of blue used in fireworks displays recently?
Regardless of the accuracy of some old Usenet post, the story has stuck with me. Whenever I see a shell burst with blue sparks or trails now, I think of the Space Shuttle. It's a risky business, strapping astronauts onto a pair of several-hundred-tonne fireworks, but thus far the engineers of NASA have done a remarkable job of pulling it off, again and again.
Posted by Milligan at July 25, 2005 10:55 PM | TrackBackMichael--
I was but 10 miles from the PEPCON perchlorate explosion in middle school, and boy oh boy! We were watching a film on beach sand, with a metal trash can propping open the outside door. Suddenly all the ceiling tiles in the room lifted up and slammed back down, dumping dust on the classroom. The outside door slammed shut, denting the can. We stopped the film, people wondered what was going on. After a few minutes the school decided to evacuate, since no one knew what was going on. Going outside and looking south there was a brown cloud of something up in the air--it looked like an odd smoke fire... After ten minutes the school told everyone to go back in... meanwhile my friends and I were watching a new fast-moving brown mushroom cloud appearing below the first cloud. The second explosion was the bigger one. I was outside when the shock wave hit; I remember absolute panic on the faces of the kids racing out of the school.
I REMEMBER THAT DAY AS WELL, I WAS ONE OF THE VERY FIRST HENDERSON POLICE OFFICERS TO RESPOND TO THE FIRE BEFORE THE EXPLOSIONS WENT OFF, I WAS IN DIRECT LINE WITH THE PLANT APPROX 1/2 TO 3/4 MILES ON HIGHWAY 146 EAST OF THE OLD GIBSON ROAD. I WAS GOING TO RESPOND TO ASSIT WITH TRAFFIC CONTROL ON WHAT I THOUGHT WAS JUST A FIRE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE.
MAN WHAT A DAY THAT WAS, THAT SECOND ONE WAS A DOOZEY! LIFTED ME ABOUT A GOOD FOOT OFF THE GROUND AND TOSSED ME ACROSS THE ROAD ABOUT 14 FEET OR MORE FROM MY PATROL CAR.
I WOUND UP GETTING A MEDAL OF VALOR, MEDAL OF COURAGE AND HONARABLE MENTION FROM THE VALLEY OF HERO'S OUT OF THE WHOLE AFFAIR FOR JUST DOING MY JOB, LOST SOME HEARING IN MY RIGHT EAR AND HAVE THIS WOMDERFUL RINGING IN BOTH.
RIGHT PLACE WRONG TIME?
WRONG PLACE RIGHT TIME?
NEITHER,RIGHT PLACE RIGHT RIGHT TIME AS I SAW IT.
WE HELPED A LOT OF FOLKS THAT DAY WHILE SUFFERING OUR OWN INJURYS FROM FLYING DEBRIS AND SOME ORANGE CHEMICAL THAT GAVE A FEW OF US SOME PRETTY GOOD SKIN IRRATATION.
THE GUYS ON THE FRONT LINE THE COPS ANY WAY WERE PRETTY MUCH THE OLD SCHOOL EX MILITARY GUYS AS I REMEMBER. THE FIRE DEPARTMNMET GUYS, AWESOME AS ALWYAS, YA GOTTA LOVE THOSE GUYS, ONE OF THEM BANDAGED MY HEAD AND EYE SO I COULD WORK THE SECONDARY PERIMETER ONCE WE MOVED BACK FROM THE BIG BOOMS AND MY INITIAL STOPPING POINT WHICH WAS CLOSER IN TO THE PLANT, WISH I COULD REMEMBER WHO HE WAS, HE DID A GOOD JOB.
IT WAS A MIRACLE THAT THINGS WORKED OUT AS WELL AS THEY DID, WE HAD MAYBE 4 GUYS ON THE ROAD THAT DAY AS I REMEMBER AND NONE OF US HAD A CLUE AS TO WHAT A DANGER THAT PLACE POSSED.
I REMEMBER OLD FRIENDS LIKE DICKIE TRETTLE, HE'S GONE NOW, AN OLD RUSS AVERY, P-NUMBER "69" RETIRED, THEY BOTH GOT THE MEDAL OF COURAGE.
OTHERS STARTING SHOWING UP QUICKER THAN HELL OF COURSE. OFF DUTY GUYS, GUYS IN THE P.D. BUILDING DOWN TOWN OR THOSE NEAR THE COURTS.
"THE BRASS" WERE AT THEIR COMMAND POSTS, NEVER DID SEE ANY OF THEM OF COURSE AND I HAVE TO GIVE ONE HELL OF AN HONARBLE MENTION TO SOME OF THE GREATEST CITEZENS ON THE PLANET, ALL WHO JUMPED RIGHT IN TO HELP OUT. THE CITY REALLY CAME TOGETHER THAT DAY.
OH HECK, I CAN'T FORGET OLD "STEVEY" KILGORE ONE HECK OF A GOOD GUY, AND ONE FINE COP, HE'S RETIRED AS WELL.
STEVEY, RUSSY AND DICKIE, THESE WERE THE GUYS I REMEMBER SEEING IN THE GROUND ZERO AREA AT THE TIME ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE OR SHORTLY THERE AFTER ALONG WITH THE FIRST RESPONDING FIRE AND RESCUE WORKERS. I'M SURE THERE WERE LOTS MORE AROUND THESE ARE JUST THE GUYS I REMEBER SEEING CLOSE ENOUGHTO FEEL SOME REAL HEAT FROM THE FIRE SORT OF SPEAK.
LIVE AND LEARN EH? WE DID THAT DAY.
I STILL LIVE HERE IN HENDERSON. ALMOST 28 YEARS NOW, STILL WORK FOR THE CITY IN BUSINESS LICENSING, AND EVERY DAY WHEN I DRIVE HOME I PASS THAT SPOT.
IT'S CHANGED ALOT, HOUSES AND BUILDINGS GOING UP, THE ROAD WAY AND LANDSCAPE HAVE CHANGED A LOT, THE MEMORY, ALTHOUGH EVER PRESENT ISN'T SCAREY OR EVEN THAT DISTURBING.
YOU MIGHT SAY IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST AWESOME THINGS I HAVE EVER WITNESSED BESIDES THE SIGHT OF MY TWO SONS COMING HOME FROM WAR, ONE ON THE DECK OF A CARRIER AND THE OTHER WITH A DUFFLE BAG OVER HIS SHOULDER
THE YOUNGEST ONE HAS SINCE RETURNED FOR HIS SECOND TOUR IN IRAQ, AND EOD TROOP (BOMB SQUAD)
JUST WANTED TO SAY FEW WORDS, I STUMBLED ONTO THIS SITE WHILE BROWISNG,
GOD BLESS BILL ADOMEIT HPD # 165 RETIRED