Record set for fastest object on Earth's surface
 

The DebrisLV experiment, which occurred on April 1, 2014, was designed to show what happens when an orbiting object or piece of debris strikes an abandoned upper stage at an orbital velocity.

The purpose of the experiment is to help understand the on-orbit debris environment and effects of a collision in space, and the resulting debris, which could possibly result in damage to existing and future satellite systems.

The experiment took place at the G-Range of the Arnold Engineering and Development Complex (AEDC) in Tennessee, where the world’s most powerful known light gas gun is based. (Some countries may not publicly acknowledge existence of light gas gun facilities.) The test was done in the G-Range vacuum chamber.

A light gas gun uses an explosive charge to accelerate a piston, which then forces a light gas, in this case hydrogen, down a barrel to propel a projectile at great speeds.

The DebrisLV projectile, which weighed 596 grams or slightly more than one pound, reached a speed of 6.9 kilometers/second or 15,400 mph.

That is the fastest speed any object larger than a baseball has ever moved on the surface of the Earth, and is close to orbital velocities.

Both the DebrisLV and DebrisSat experiments were outfitted with numerous sensors and recording instruments, such as high-speed black-and-white and color cameras, a high-speed infrared camera, a mass spectrometer, a nanosecond spectrometer, a borescope, and a hyperspectral system. The resulting data collected is still being analyzed, but some impressive, previously unknown, information has already emerged.

Perhaps the most interesting is an observed effect called a gas-phase jet, which occurred when part of the DebrisLV simulated upper stage, which was made of aluminum, momentarily vaporized at the instant it was struck by the high-speed projectile. This jetting vapor then cut up a nearby strap-on tank in a violent manner that had never before been recorded or observed, and is not built into any current breakup models. By itself, this new observation is expected to have a major impact on future orbital debris models.

That's pretty fast!:o

Cool! :D
Now I can make the Kessel run in under twelve parsecs.:yeah:

That is fast. Amazing the amount of damage even a small object can do at such velocities. Like a forgotten tool getting sucked into an F-16 engine at 110% rpm brrrrrump. Saw a gas turbine generator blow once in Turkey they found part of the impeller in the tail of a Turkish air force F-16 nearly one mile away. It was shaft fatiuge that did it spun up to 80% and popped.

Kind of like an old Daisy spring air system....:O:

I think this type of light gas gun will do a little more than shoot your eye out. :)

Makes me wonder those air cannons they use to shoot chickens out of in oder to simulate bird strikes. I bet those are worlds fastest poultry.

I dunno...they're pretty bloody fast when you're trying to catch the buggers... :nope:

Pretty fowl piece of weaponry they reckon.

Indeed only the pigeon guided bomb is more fowl.

Seriously??

I opened this thread over my uber slow internet connection for that!?

sigh......... (Ok I groaned and laughed...)

Better than a warp-1, led lit, inter-galactic dildo I bet.. for Mrs Kranz :har:

Sorry Gargamel.. just read you 3D printing prowness thread :D