Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

i have a question. me and a buddy were wondering how you could turn gunpowder into a propulsion mechanism for a rocket. Any answere would be apreciated. Please write back as soon as you can.

smardudes - STOP!!! While you might find some Internet references to using gunpowder or 'black powder' as a rocket propellant, the probability of something terribly bad happening is overwhelming. You might have observed gunpowder burning relatively slowly in an open atmosphere. The chemical reaction is very different in a contained vessel. If gunpowder is ignited in a sealed (or mostly sealed container, assuming you expect a nozzle to direct gasses externally) the system will immediately build up a tremendous internal pressure and the rate of powder burn is dramatically accelerated. An ounce of black powder might burn harmlessly in the open air for a few seconds, but if confined, the complete combustion will occur in milliseconds. The confined pressure could exceed 50,000 psi. You may have created a 'pipe bomb' rather than a rocket motor. The possibility of death and destruction are not remote. Do some more research. Rocketry as a hobby has many safety minded followers, but they will likely be using solid fuel propellants that have known burn rates and are used with tested engine designs. Be safe. Don't pursue gunpowder as a basis for your experiment.

Here is a link to the National Association of Rocketry to start your safe experiment.

http://www.nar.org/

Rick Marz

Rocket Science is easy, anyone can do it, make a bomb with a hole in it and point the hole away from the desired direction, light it, pray that you live to tell about it. Short answer is DO NOT DO IT.

Rocket Engineering is the hard part. Consider each of the following and dozens more that I can not think of off hand:
Mass, safety, force, safety. pressure, safety, acceleration, safety, temperature, safety, strength of materials, safety, energy, safety, power, safety, distance, safety, burn rate, safety, exhaust rate, safety, ignition technique, safety, location, safety, liability, safety, responsibility, safety, distance to the hospital, etc. See a common thread here?

The Mythbusters make it look easy, but you notice they are extremely safety aware and they still have close calls. They also have a support staff and are not afraid to call in experts who know specific things about their projects.

I have done rocket engineering, and it is not easy. If it were easy, anyone could do it. Stick to science.