Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/05/28/watch-russian-rocket-struck-by.html
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SCE to AUX and carry on.
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The rocket was worthy.
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Flame is conductive.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hvacrschool.com/flame-sensing-the-basics/amp/
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I’m not a real scientist, but I was recently learning about lightning.
In a cloud-ground strike, the “branchy” jagged bolts we all think of are called stepped leaders. As the negatively charged stepped leader approaches the ground, a (much smaller) positively charged streamer rises from the ground. If the two touch, there’s a sudden drop in electrical resistance along the now-completed path, which can result in several strikes along that path. The multiple strikes are so rapid, we usually perceive it as one flickering stroke.
In this case, it looks like the rocket’s exhaust trail may have provided a low resistance path for the positively charged streamer up from the ground.
EDITED: to use distinguish the “streamer” from the “leader”
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Zeus says STAY DOWN.
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If this was Soviet times, it would make a good propoganda poster about how even god can’t stop progress.
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Is it just me or does the rocket appear to briefly stop upon being struck?
It’s real life Space Invaders!
Usually this is how electronics gain sentience. Soon the Russian navigation satellite will go on a heartfelt emotional journey of self-discovery and eventually realize its most important purpose is navigating the meaning of life itself.
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Yes, I recognized the reference. My only regret is that I have but one like to give.
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I gave him another one for you, even though I didn’t recognize the reference,
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The Russian military already has a Space Force??? Crap, ours is still mostly just some tweets.
In Soviet Russia, rocket strikes lightning!
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It’s okay. We can’t all be steely-eyed missile men.
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Not to worry, but if this isn’t a comic supervillain origin story, I don’t know what is.
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Indeed. Rocket exhaust plumes are full of ionized gases, which are way more conductive than plain air.
A group studying lightning spent a summer launching sounding rockets trailing fine conductive wires into Florida thundercells, in an attempt to induce stikes for study. On a few occasions, the trailing wire accidentally detached from the rocket, and sometimes the rocket worked anyway, as its exhaust plume was sufficiently conductive by itself.
(This is also why the live feeds from the SpaceX drone ships usually cut off as the rocket lands - the ionized exhaust gases temporarily block radio signals from the barge.)
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Magnets Lightning strikes – how the bleep do they work??
