VERA: My very favorite gun

[Fnord]

Humble request:
If you end up involved with this production in any significant way, please insist to discovery's editors that they need to stop being so hopelessly vague on technical details. This type of device is simple enough that the average person would be able to understand what the basic numbers mean.

Also, avoid car analogies.

[D_Hall]

Also, avoid car analogies.

WHAT????

But my standard analogy to explain how a hybrid works is.... "Imagine one cylinder of an internal combustion engine. You pull in fuel and air. You compress it. Now, right as the spark plug goes, imagine that the connecting rod isn't there so that your piston just keeps on going...."

[jrrdw]

It looks like"they" may actually do a small piece on the gun itself as part of a larger show. IE, they wouldn't be using the gun for some other purpose, they'd be talking *about* the gun.

And the fact that it can br seen from space lol. More footage of it firing please...if ya can.

[Fnord]

But my standard analogy to explain how a hybrid works is....

Haha, 'car analogies' are kind of a mocking nerd joke. It's a trope/cliche often brought up, similar to how the media likes to use 'libraries of congress' as a unit of data storage.
Though I was only half serious, I will admit this is one of the few areas a car analogy would really be appropriate.

[D_Hall]

Haha, 'car analogies' are kind of a mocking nerd joke. It's a trope/cliche often brought up,

It's often brought up because it works. Once upon a time I did first line tech support for a university computer lab (when I was in college, obviously). And for about the last 15 years I've done volunteer teaching in a HS Physics class. One thing I found to be true in both environments... If I could find a way to illustrate the concept using cars, people "got" the concept a lot faster.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

If I could find a way to illustrate the concept using cars, people "got" the concept a lot faster.

I've definitely found that using different lego bricks combined in different ways to make different things from the same parts as an extremely useful analogy for explaining chemistry to our usually less than academic plant operators.

On the other hand, watching "documentaries" made to appeal to the lowest denominator tend not to be very entertaining.

[D_Hall]

Lego bricks to explain how putting atoms together in different ways makes them useful for different things is brilliant!

Fortunately, I've never had to teach chemistry.

[acs2997]

It looks like your end caps are DWV, you better rebuild it
Amazing war machine you have there. completely speechless

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

http://saab.picsearch.tv/?cat=&q=&bandw ... Hxg&page=2

Interesting video from SAAB and somewhat related to the way VERA earns a crust, a missile warhead is fired out of a pneumatic gun for test purposes.

[Blitz]

Big guns are the best!

[D_Hall]

http://saab.picsearch.tv/?cat=&q=&bandw ... Hxg&page=2

Interesting video from SAAB and somewhat related to the way VERA earns a crust, a missile warhead is fired out of a pneumatic gun for test purposes.

Indeed. This is exactly the type of testing VERA was designed for.... But VERA can do it bigger/faster.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

But VERA can do it bigger/faster.

It's been over a year now, has there been any particularly interesting testing done that you can share?

I would be very surprised if you haven't been involved in trying out something like GBU-39 warheads

[D_Hall]

And hey... I even found a pic of VERA on the firing range!

http://binged.it/Xrl0mw

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

And hey... I even found a pic of VERA on the firing range!

How on earth do you deal with the awesome feeling of waking up every morning knowing you're the guy behind that.

[jrrdw]

And hey... I even found a pic of VERA on the firing range!

How on earth do you deal with the awesome feeling of waking up every morning knowing you're the guy behind that.

T'iss the second reason for morning wood!