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The book that quote is originally from, Ignition!, is 100% worth a read. Picked up a copy through Amazon a few months ago, and it’s one of the funniest (in a ne
by sq_ 7y ago
The book that quote is originally from, Ignition!, is 100% worth a read. Picked up a copy through Amazon a few months ago, and it’s one of the funniest (in a nerdy way) and most interesting books I’ve read in a loooong time.
- cstross 7y agoThe subtitle is worth a mention: it’s a history of the development of liquid rocket fuels (in the USA — written in the early 1970s, it predates the opening up of Soviet rocketry to the west). Written by a chemist specializing in high energy reactions, it’s memorable for such bizarre concepts as the exploration of ozone as a possible oxidizing agent (scary stuff!) and the alarming willingness of the US Navy and Air Force to even think about using Dimethyl Mercury as rocket fuel (hint: it’s pretty much the benchmark for neurotoxins—see also Karen Wetterhahn—and when you burn it the exhaust plume dissolves aluminum structures like, oh, aircraft wings and warship superstructures).
- wiredfool 7y agoI ran across a PDF of ignition a while back and lost a couple of days to it. My recollection is that they were aiming for atomic mercury, because a monatomic heavy propellant was one way to optimize the specific impulse. Not as bad as dimethyl mercury, but still quite toxic.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- pfdietz 7y agoThe mercury was for optimizing for density impulse: density x specific impulse.
- pjc50 7y agoIn the book, the "safe" oxidiser they settle on is ... red fuming nitric acid! After discovering that it can be safely stored in stainless steel tanks with the addition of a small amount of the even more dangerous hydrofluric acid, which forms some kind of iron-fluoride compound on the tank inner surface.
- interfixus 7y agoThe book seems hard and very pricey to come across. I know for a fact that certain people have had better luck with Libgen.
- bigiain 7y agoYou can get it on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076838QS2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076838QS2 Well worth the money. I don't think I'd pay the $90+ people are asking for a hardcover version...
- iNerdier 7y agoIt was recently republished as far as I know but yes, originals are hard to come by.
- stordoff 7y agoI was completely unaware this had been republished. I think it might be finally time to get myself a copy. £13.69/$20.49 (paperback) is a completely reasonable price compared to what I had seen before.
- 4gotunameagain 7y agoHmm the first result of a googling was a pdf for me
- lorenzhs 7y agoNo need for libgen, there's a scanned microfilm pdf at https://library.sciencemadness.org/library/books/ignition.pdf https://library.sciencemadness.org/library/books/ignition.pd...
- xenadu02 7y agoFun fact: I purchased the very last original from Amazon, though I hear they reprinted it recently.
- Roboprog 7y agoThere is a fellow on YouTube, Scott Manly, who does rocket and aircraft videos, who did an episode featuring “Ignition!” And its wonderful compounds a while back.
- sq_ 7y agoScott really does make great videos. He does a great job of breaking big things down into smaller bits and making the information available to a wide audience. Didn't know he'd done an episode on Ignition!, though.