From Newsgroup: alt.tv.star-trek.tos   
   From Address: Brad_Filippone@yahoo.com   
   Subject: Re: necessity is the mother of invention   
      
   On Sep 13, 6:05aam, Gunner Asch  wrote:   
   > On Tue, 13 Sep 2011 06:14:38 +0100, Martin Brown   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   > <|||newspam...@nezumi.demon.co.uk> wrote:   
   > >On 13/09/2011 02:30, Salmon Egg wrote:   
   > >> In article   
   > >> <6aaf2415-d5d0-4809-8545-2dafdab68...@g14g2000pre.googlegroups.com>,   
   > >> a SparkoHeaps awrote:   
   >   
   > >>> On Sep 12, 5:31 pm, Frank awrote:   
   > >>>> On 9/12/2011 6:45 PM, RichD wrote:   
   >   
   > >>>>> So I was watching an old Star Trek, Kirk is marooned   
   > >>>>> in a desert (looks like New Mexico), battling a gnarly   
   > >>>>> alien. aHe jerry rigs a howitzer, then gathers up   
   > >>>>> minerals, and mixes them to manufacture   
   > >>>>> gunpowder. aOf course. he flattens the alien on   
   > >>>>> his first shot, and the galaxy is saved.   
   >   
   > >>>>> Anyhoo, is that plausible, could one make   
   > >>>>> gunpowder in a survival situation like that?   
   > >>>>> With no chem lab equipment?   
   >   
   > >>>> Probably.   
   > >>>> I think you can find sulfur in pure form.   
   > >>>> Don't know if Chilean salt peter (sodium nitrate) is pure enough to use   
   > >>>> without recrystallizing, but I suspect it is.   
   > >>>> Charred, i.e. partially burnt, wood could serve as the charcoal source.   
   > >>>> Crude mix would not make the best gun powder but it should work.   
   >   
   > >>> Mythbusters tried it   
   >   
   > >>>http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/mythbusters-gorn-cannon-high-speed.html   
   >   
   > >> Just what does "tried it" mean. I see the fireworks but that gives me no   
   > >> cluesas to the planning.   
   >   
   > >Native sulphur is no problem apart from finding it and grinding down   
   > >fine enough. It is probably dangerously acidic without some   
   > >purification. Wood charcoal is easier and soft to grind.   
   >   
   > >Saltpetre would be usable in desert conditions but would probably need   
   > >recrystallising at least once to purify and then fine grinding. How fine   
   > >you grind the gunpowder mix determines whether you get a damp squib or a   
   > >proper fast burn detonation. IMO He would have been better off with a   
   > >Chinese style rocket that way the pipe serves only to point the missile   
   > >at the bad guy and doesn't have to survive any overpressure.   
   >   
   > >If you could find the ingredients the main thing is grinding them   
   > >together well enough without making sparks. And lighting the fuse...   
   >   
   > Grind them fine SEPERATELY..then add water and mix and mix. When still   
   > damp.. tumble in a screen cage aand then let the fines dry, then store.   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   > >Looks to me like he is doomed anyway - characters wearing red uniforms   
   > >on classic Star Trek seldom last past the first ad break.   
   >   
   > >Regards,   
   > >Martin Brown   
   >   
   > Newbies in red uniforms had a 10 minute lifespan on the Enterprise.   
   >   
   Actually, while a lot of crewmembers in red do die on the show, you   
   actually see far more who manage to survive.   
   Brad   
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