Carmack's Throatless Rocket Engine

Baldrson writes "John Carmack is working a potentially disruptive technology: A throatless rocket engine. Its made from plain aluminum pipes with few machined fittings. Carmack says: "The great thing about these engines is that it only takes me two nights to machine the parts, so we can test two engines a week if necessary." It scales too: "If this line of tube engine development works out, we can make a 5,000 lbf engine with very little more effort than the test engine." This is what makes disruptive technology development work: Cheap, fast turnaround on on redesign producing technologies that scale. If this works, the NASCAR guys may really start entering space competitions like the X-Cup."

pipedream

[Anonymous Coward]

the Pipedream finally becomes reality.

Carmack's Dream...

[Mastadex]

..is to eventually make a fully working version of the BFG. This is just the first setp.

Wasted Talent

[Thakandar2]

I mean, why have a genius like Carmack working on shooting rockets into space, when what the world really needs is a better personal rocket launcher... for shooting rockets into other people.

Game God rocketjumps himself to death

[Anonymous Coward]

In an effort to propel himself high enough to reach the Quad Damage, John Carmack fragged himself with his own rocket launcher. He will be remembered by a rabid community of gamers. We will all miss you John.

Re:Obscure unit

[zero time ghost]

I'm miffed that he didn't express it in stone-furlongs.

Someone call George Bernard Shaw

[bubbaprog]

I think Mr. Carmack has a bit of a Pygmalion complex with Commander Keen. To the heavens!

Toasted the Server Already

[angrist]

From the site ...

"Too many users... blah blah blah

Probable cause: http://www.slashdot.org/ [slashdot.org]

Try again in a few seconds...

[e-mail]"

That has to be the best 'server down' message I've seen in years

Re:Obscure unit

[Planesdragon]

What the hell is a lbf? Is North America really so backwards and stubborn they refuse to use units that the rest of the world is perfectly happy with.

Yes. We are able to use non-decimal units because, quite frankly, most applications call for non-decimal units.

Once you've been to the moon and back, THEN maybe we'll consider your ideas on measurement. ;)

Home made rocket motors

[standards]

If this line of tube engine development works out, we can make a 5,000 lbf engine with very little more effort than the test engine."

Interestingly enough, as a kid I made my own alcohol fueled rocket motor, based around a bottle filled with a alcohol/oxygen mix, a small orifice, and an ignition source.

If thing were the way I'd like them to be, I could have scaled it up to be something like twice the power of the Saturn V rocket. But after the first successful test, I was unable to scale the device.

Best of luck to John, may he do better than I did.

Re:Obscure unit

[paniq]

*ahem*

http://www.cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/30/mars.metric/ [cnn.com]

Re:X-Cup?

[Anonymous Coward]

X-Cup?

Hell, A D- or DD-Cup's about all I'm after.

Re:Game God rocketjumps himself to death

[Anonymous Coward]

Before you do so please tell us wether you have kids so we know wether to order a darwin award.

Re:Obscure unit

[Qzukk]

Is North America really so backwards and stubborn they refuse to use units that the rest of the world is perfectly happy with.

Ok, it's a 5klbf engine. Happy?

He'd best watch his back

[snorklewacker]

We all know what this administration does to people who purchase large numbers of aluminum tubes.

That, and he makes video games! Ones that might possibly have boobie-enabling mods!

X-Cup is too big

[Call Me Black Cloud]

I myself try to stay with DD-cup or smaller.

*boom* Wheeeee!

[No Such Agency]

what the world really needs is a better personal rocket launcher... for shooting rockets into other people.

Screw that! Rocket-jump, baby!

Re:Home made rocket motors

[Ironsides]

Interestingly enough, as a kid I made my own alcohol fueled rocket motor, based around a bottle filled with a alcohol/oxygen mix, a small orifice, and an ignition source.

Taking a large swig of 190 proof vodka, putting a lighter up to your mouth, and spitting out the vodka [divineimagination.com] does not count as building your own rocket motor. ;)

Re:I read TFA but...

[vmcto]

So, not truly revolutionary, but "disruptive" tech in the sense that it puts the ability to make decent nozzles in the hands of many many more people.

Don't tell Dubya...

The terrorists are sure to use this against us...

Re:There's a lot more to a rocket engine...

[BlueCodeWarrior]

"ISP loss"? "maximum propelleant value"?

Sheesh, what do you guys think this is, rocket science?

What an idiot

[idonthack]

He should have just used the jump pads.
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PS - This is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were eliminated.
Generated by SlashdotRndSig [snop.com] via GreaseMonkey [mozdev.org]

Re:ISP Still very low

[johnny cashed]

Yes, I'd say his Internet Service Provider is in the low 200s as well.

Re:The problem was Hydrogen Peroxide

[Afrosheen]

If Doom3 would have been better, perhaps he would have more funding.

  Oh wait, there's always Quake4. ;)

It's a secret

[iendedi]

NASA is a sham, a front, a cover for the real space program. The real U.S. space program exists in military black-projects and that is where 2000s level technology is being developed and used. You think UFOs are alien? Ha!

Do your own research, but I will present you with the basic idea that ZPE and antigravity are a reality within military black-ops and has been for decades.

Re:Obscure unit

[StikyPad]

I'm with you. From now on, days are the equivelant of 3.6525 current days, and there are 100 days in a year. Months are now ten days long, and we'll just get rid of February and May, because February sucks, and May already has its own day.

Ah, the ideas.. my mind feels like it's running at 5,280 ft. per minute!