Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
If you need to ask, you can't afford it.

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

user:
pass:
register,


                             

Please log in.
Before you can vote, you need to register. Please log in or create an account.

Technicolor Shuttle Reentry

Make it fun to watch the reentry of the Space Shuttle
  (+6)
(+6)
  [vote for,
against]

For night reentry, the shuttle would have patches of ablative epoxy mixed with various chemicals and/or aluminum shavings attached to the bottom tiles. The epoxies would ablate at different temperatures and you could go from a blazing strontium chloride red to a beautiful copper sulfate blue/green, blending into a lovely sodium yellow and add sparkles from aluminum powder.

Just for us earthbound viewers.

Klaatu, May 31 2008

STS-124 Live Feed http://playlist.yah...9080&segment=149773
Requires Windows Media Player® [Klaatu, May 31 2008]

Where is the Shuttle? http://spaceflight..../realdata/tracking/
Track it here [Klaatu, May 31 2008]

SkyTyping http://www.skytyping.com/
[Klaatu, May 31 2008]

[link]






       ...and if it did burn up on reentry, it could go out with a bang in a display of fireworks! Oh, um, wait a moment...
DrCurry, May 31 2008
  

       <Gary Larson> Unbeknownst to the crew Houston were hoping for a critical re-entry failure to show the world the *mother* of all roman candles. </GL>   

       [edit] Sorry DrC, must have had a concurrent lapse of Caption Me.
4whom, May 31 2008
  

       considering the dispersion properties of the ablated material would be pretty well known, you could skywrite advertising as you re-entered.
FlyingToaster, May 31 2008
  

       //you could skywrite advertising as you re-entered.//   

       A verrry long "I"? Maybe an "S" at the end?
Klaatu, May 31 2008
  

       [Klaatu] the ablated stuff disperses horizontally (hmm, by the time it was dispersed enough it probably wouldnt be burning, crap)
FlyingToaster, May 31 2008
  

       [Fly'nToast'r] If you could arrange the ablative material VERY precisely, you might be able to create an effect similar to skytyping <link>
Klaatu, May 31 2008
  

       \
..\
....\
......\
........\
.........(+)
.
.
.
______________________
  

       [Klaatu] Oooh, ascii art. Needs more than one re-entry per message.   

       <International corporate executive> Did we get the message across?   

       <Ad agency exec> No, but more importantly for the campaign, we got them down!
4whom, May 31 2008
  

       Thanks for that link, Klaatu. Just watching the launch - isn't modern technology full of acronyms?   

       [Edit - either BBC has a time machine, or the web coverage is 90 seconds behind].
MaxwellBuchanan, May 31 2008
  

       //or the web coverage is 90 seconds behind//   

       It's running about 62 seconds behind. Not perfect...but, at least I don't have to listen to the announcers.   

       Did you see the debris (ice?) hit the shuttle at about T+5:43?
Klaatu, May 31 2008
  

       Nope - missed that (twice!). That'll mess up the paint job again.
MaxwellBuchanan, May 31 2008
  
      
[annotate]
  


 

back: main index

business  computer  culture  fashion  food  halfbakery  home  other  product  public  science  sport  vehicle