We send hamsters. First in low powered exploratory launches, to prove that it can be done safely. Then high altitude launches, with triple stage rockets and compact video recorders inside and outside the passenger capsule. Rockets on this scale designed to carry delicate cargo (an egg) and return it safely to earth via parachute already exist, and one has been purchased for the project. It will be upgraded over time with higher power engines and additional stages, but until funding makes those upgrades possible, this will be the vessel which carries brave hamsternauts beyond the heavens:
I opted not to craft my own cockpit from a larger rocket's nosecone as I wanted a rocket already designed to fly stably while top heavy, and to carry fragile cargo and return it gently to the Earth. This fit the bill perfectly. It will naturally be repainted NASA white, with some type of special logo befitting such a noble endeavor.But this is just stage 1 in Hamkind's conquest of space. The followup will be a space station. Or more accurately a skystation as obviously I lack the means to actually put hamsters in space. Nonetheless the design will closely resemble a futuristic space station, suspended by latex weather balloons and secured via a long fishing line tether to a heavy battery pack below which will not only anchor it against winds, but also keep it stable and upright, and supply power for the onboard resistive heating pad which the hamsters can use to warm themselves as needed if it becomes chilly:
This floating habitat will be the crown jewel of the hamster space program, a worthy followup to Hampture Mk.III and the next logical step in the ongoing quest to expand the dominion of hamsters to all frontiers. Because obviously that is something which needs doing. Shut up, yes it is.
This is so great.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for advancing the state of the art with respect to hamster life support, but your plan to use an Estes rocket leaves me with a lot of questions. For example, have you worked out the maximum acceleration during launch? What can a hamster reasonably be expected to endure?
ReplyDeleteI'm fascinated by your plans, though, and hope to see this grow into an intelligent and ambitious project. Please keep us posted!
Presumably their tolerance is similar to that of mice, which I sent up in similar rockets when I was very young (they all came back fine.) And propotionally, a shuttle launch is a greater strain on a human being than a model rocket launch can possibly be on a hamster.
ReplyDeleteI've done some back-of-the-envelope calculations.
ReplyDeleteMaximum acceleration is related to the maximum thrust of the engine and the total mass of the rocket, payload, and propellant at that moment.
According to Estes, the maximum thrust of the C11-3 engine -- which lies in the middle of their "with egg" recommended engine list -- is 22.1 N.
Masses to be considered:
* Rocket (without egg): 2.6 oz. = 73.7 g
* Propellant: 11.0 g
* Engine (with propellant): 32.2 g
* Adult Roborovski Dwarf Hamster, minimum (http://www.hamsterific.com/speciestable.cfm): 14 g
The worst-case acceleration scenario has a minimum mass for rocket and payload (hence the dwarf hamster, above) at the moment of maximum thrust. The minimum mass is 73.7 + (32.2-11.0)g + 14 g, or approximately 110 grams, or 0.11 kg. Worst-case acceleration is thus 22.1 N / 0.11 kg, or about 201 m/s^2. That's about 20.5 times Earth gravity -- rather crushing. And the g-load may well be even worse on landing.
I know these things usually carry eggs, but eggs are surprisingly strong along their long axis, which is how they're typically transported by these rockets. You can't smash it with the force of a one-handed grip. Yes, they typically break from a pretty short fall, but even a pretty short fall interrupted by solid ground imposes g-loads far in excess of 20.5 gees; consider what that means in terms of your hamster landing above.
I encourage you not to try launching hamsters on this rocket. Even the lowest-power recommended "with egg" engine, a B6-2, has a worst-case acceleration of about 12.1 N / (0.0737 + (0.0193 - 0.00624) + 0.014) kg = 120 m/s^2, or about 12.2 gees. You may well find that your hamsternauts would not survive such a trip. Though I can't say for certain -- animals can survive surprisingly high g-loads if they're momentary -- with these first-blush calculations, it seems a bit reckless.
Best of luck with your "space station", though!
And propotionally, a shuttle launch is a greater strain on a human being than a model rocket launch can possibly be on a hamster.
I'm afraid that's just not true. The Shuttle accelerates to a maximum of three gees on launch.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/galileo-a-20091016.html
Furthermore, proportionality is the wrong approach here. You can't subject an animal that weighs one ten-thousandth of what a human weighs to ten thousand times the g-force and expect it to live.
Here's a better resource for the maximum acceleration felt by humans on the Shuttle, without having to worry about that "parts of the frame" business at the link I posted earlier:
ReplyDeletehttp://quest.nasa.gov/qna/questions/FAQ_Shuttle_Launch.htm
Under the question "What does your body feel like when you take off?"
Thanks for the napkin calculations, but having seen a mouse come out of a rocket launch unharmed several times, I can be very certain that it's not just survivable but consistently so. I can't say if it's the size of the animal or physiological differences but there were absolutely no health problems in the mouse. All I can offer in the way of explanation is that the acceleration is momentary and that their bodies are easily able to endure it.
ReplyDeleteAs for landing, you understand that these things have parachutes, right? And that the interior will be foam padded?
As always I never put the hamster through anything I wouldn't put myself through. In fact, I'd jump at the chance.
As for landing, you understand that these things have parachutes, right? And that the interior will be foam padded?
ReplyDeleteSure. I've launched more than a few rockets in my day for recreational and educational purposes -- using them to demonstrate engineering statistical analysis, for example. Some were even built to carry eggs. I must admit that I've never flown this particular model, though, and I've never flown live cargo.
As always I never put the hamster through anything I wouldn't put myself through. In fact, I'd jump at the chance.
Oh, yeah. As would I. But then, I'd jump at the chance of doing a lot of things that I wouldn't want to do to anyone or anything else.
Regardless of what you decide, this is a very cool project, and I wish you the best of luck.
you madman! this might just be crazy enough to follow! i salute your experiments, and look forward to the footage.
ReplyDeleteBoy, you've covered all the frontiers- deep sea, outer space; what's next?
ReplyDeleteSome sort of land-mounted terrarium? That would be the toughest project yet- getting hamsters to survive the perils of the Earth's gravitational and atmospheric forces!
Haha, oh you. Btw pics of the completed rocket coming soon.
ReplyDeletewhy are there still only 2 people following this? it has to be one of the best projects yet.
ReplyDeleteSo, when can we expect any early results?
ReplyDeleteNot that i'm rushing you, I know you must be busy man.
Soon enough, you're right I've been swamped. Redoing the art for a website that was last overhauled in 1996.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for advancing the state of the art with respect to hamster life support, but your plan to use an Estes rocket leaves ... hamstersreal.blogspot.com
ReplyDelete