by pauldear » Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:50 pm
There's already a bonus prize if you recover any part of the satellite... I'm prepared to add an equally large bonus if you recover _and eat_ any part of the system.
Re. flashpaper (from a while back) - I don't know if this is of any help, but nitrocellulose paper is available from biology lab suppliers. (It's used because it binds DNA... long story). I don't know how heavily nitrosulated (??) it is, but it does go whoomph when lit (another long story). But there may be other cheaper sources, or the DIY option mentioned above.
Bonus points to Rick for mentioning Pykrete, by the way!
Speaking of strange materials, has anyone here come across "Starlite"? If not, Google it (try "Starlite heat resistant plastic"). It was invented by (and I swear I'm not making this up) a former hairdresser, and is incredibly heat resistant. There are videos of it being tested on the UK TV program "Tomorrow's World". The guy who invented it never revealed the recipe, and is inconveniently dead, but I always thought it was an amazing material.
Cheers,
Paul