13 thoughts on “The Hayabusa Effect”

  1. It’s depressing to see really stupid people earn a lot of money.

    Yeah, but green just isn’t my color (re: envy.)

    A similar effect will occur with martians living in an environment that can kill you faster than the quarter mile.

  2. With some training you can “handle” the Saturn V rocket?

    The Dynasoar, on whatever generation Titan rocket was supposed to boost it, was actually intended to be Right-Stuff piloted during the boost phase for whatever reason. Saturn V? I thought on that thing you were a passenger?

    1. The Saturn V was launched on autopilot, but it could be flown to orbit manually, and the astronauts practised doing so.

      From what I remember, if the AGC was working it was as ‘simple’ as keeping the rocket in the centre of the trajectory display.

      All that said, it’s quite possible it would lead to a mission failure due to insufficient fuel in the SIVB to get to the Moon.

  3. God save me from the “chug chug vroom” of overpriced moronmobiles putting around the suburbs at 20 mph.

  4. Having recently engineered my AspX to a 44ly jump range, allowing me to get from Jameson Memorial to Robigo Mines in 10 minutes, I can attest; it’s no longer fast enough.

  5. The opposite is true too, I think. The fasted vehicle I ever owned was a Yamaha RD-350 that would do a 13-some second quarter mile. But now I’m perfectly happy with my 18-second quarter mile little pickup truck. And my main means of transportation does probably a 60-second quarter mile. If I peddle hard.

  6. A rocket engine’s turbopump produces about 100 hp per pound. Get rid of the pump, leaving just the burner and turbine, and the power to weight ratio would probably double. Run the shaft through a set of planetary gear reductions and mount it to the rear axle through a clutch, leaving the rest of the drive train intact. Put the pressurized fuel and oxidizer tanks in the trunk.

    Then, for less than a hundred pounds (depending on propellant tank weights, you can have a switch on the console that boosts your car’s performance by a couple thousand horsepower.

    The problem is to build it, build it cheap, and make it available to the aftermarket folks who spend too much time watching Fast and Furious X.

      1. …keeps the bumper from melting… Needs more fuel! and better air intake.

        Anything that confuses cops is worthwhile. I once got out of a speeding trap ticket by not having an address, He just stared at his ticket book with pen in hand until finally he sent me off.

        Also note that I never got a ticket when driving my Toyota Avalon even though I’ve been pulled over just as often as when driving junk. Funny how that works. I loved that car before I gave it to my ex-wife.

        1. Why did you give your car to your ex-wife? I can see a cheese log or a snow globe, especially if you have kids together, but I’m having trouble with the car thing.

          Full disclosure: I don’t have an ex anything that I didn’t bury in the backyard with a few scoops of dirt, except for a few pond fish that I thought Penny Possum would like.
          .

          1. I bought it in the first place with her in mind. Then she gave me such grief about it that I didn’t tell her I bought it for her (during our marriage. She was still a new driver and I intended she get more driving experience before turning it over to her.) When we got divorced I was concerned that the car she had wasn’t as safe especially without me around to maintain it. As it was, I still kept up the Avalon maintenance when I visited.. Eventually my step-son stepped up for that.

            I really loved that car, but it was just a thing. I value people more. Today is her birthday, incidentally.

  7. Is this true for computers? You do get used to increased performance but eventually, web pages don’t load any faster.

  8. It’s more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow (or drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow).

    In fact, I think that some people’s definitions of hell include sitting in a hypercar in rush-hour traffic or driving such a car at parade-route speeds all day long. What’s the point?

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