h a l f b a k e r yBone to the bad.
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Once upon a time, MikeD was manning a stationary machine-gun position. MikeD was sitting on a metal folding chair, on top of an armoured personnel carrier, on top of a mountain (of undisclosed location).
MikeD was enjoying the commanding view from atop this mountain, watching a thunderstorm roll
in, and eating an MRE.
A faint blue glow danced across the top of one of the foil meal packages.
MikeD stared in wide wonder at the phenomenon. It was scintillating. It was mesmerizing. MikeD enjoyed the unexplained and mysterious light show for a few moments before realization of the cause dawned upon him.
MikeD dove head-first from the APC.
I propose that strips of this same foil, with adhesive backing, be mounted under the front side of soldier's helmets, alerting them to an imminent lightning strike.
Soldiers are at high risk to lightning strikes
https://safety.army...d/1664/Default.aspx
[MikeD, Mar 15 2011]
Franklin's Bells
http://en.wikipedia...wiki/Franklin_bells
Benjamin Franklin's device used to indicate an incoming thunderstorm. It was connected between the ground and the lightning conductor, and when charge began to build up on the clouds electrons would be repelled out of the conductor and the bells would ring. [mitxela, Mar 15 2011]
Lightning Detector
http://www.weplaysp...F0acCFQcBbAodGUiXDQ
Or, the soldiers could just use an actual lightning detector...? [Klaatu, Mar 15 2011]
DARPA's latest: lightning-protective armed forces helmet
http://www.merctail...%20helm%20front.jpg
Note the Faraday cage to protect personal head-worn comms eqiuipment. [MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 15 2011]
MRE
http://en.wikipedia.../Meal,_Ready-to-Eat
needed details [rcarty, Mar 15 2011]
Note the grounding strips issued only to officers.
http://upload.wikim..._Mackensen_crop.jpg
[mouseposture, Mar 15 2011]
[link]
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So you saw some Saint Elmo's fire eh? Not sure if the conditions are right enough of the time to make that worth while. Like the idea of a lightning strike warning of some kind though. Preferably something that doesn't establish a more direct path to ground in the process. |
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Will soldiers also have a metal container to jump into? |
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//Imminant// what a wondrous typo |
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[MikeD] might be a superhero but he's a bit of a dick! |
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A car is said to be the safest place to be in a thunderstorm.
Perhaps a suit of armour, worn with trainers, would be
effective. |
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// A car is said to be the safest place to be in a thunderstorm // |
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True, but it's usually said by people who park their cars in underground garages. |
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Possibly the only situation where traditional plate armour wins out over kevlar. Unless, of course the kevlar is interwoven with carbon fibre, or nanotubes, or Buckminsterfullerine, or maybe just soaked in sea water ... |
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// Meal,_Ready-to-Eat needed details // |
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No. No-one who has encountered MREs ever needs to be reminded of the details. The waking-up-in- the-night-screaming is bad enough. |
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//but he's a bit of a dick!// |
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That is my super-power, [Po]. That, and my deductive reasoning which is, at this very moment, leading me to believe I misspelled/misused imminant. |
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Yes, a brief internet perusal revealed "Imminant" to be a song by the band "Insision", which is a death metal group from Stockholm. Of course this is what I meant. |
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Frankly I am surprised you guys missed the parallel between *electric death while grounded to metal* and *electric guitars grinding out death metal*. |
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<wonders to himself if they will buy his bull-shit> |
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