Skyrockets in flight!
Okay, this is another “not quite random” pick. But in honor of the 4th of July, I thought it might be fun to post some things that go “boom”.
“10 INCREDIBLE Space Launch Failures!” In 4k, for the discerning viewer.
Here’s a short one: eyewitness video of the 2015 Tianjin explosion. I’m posting this based on the assumption that the people filming made it out okay (seems reasonable).
My initial reaction when I first saw this was: “Why did you wait? Why didn’t you start running IMMEDIATELY!” But on second thought, what’s safer: sheltering in place (and hoping the blast doesn’t knock over your building, or send fragments through the windows), or running into the street and hoping you don’t get hit by falling fragments or inhale toxic byproducts? I honestly don’t know.
Every once in a while, I spend a little time watching BLEVEs on YouTube. Here’s a good compilation: and, if you are unfamiliar with the term “BLEVE”, it also explains what those are. Life pro tip: you don’t want to be anywhere near one.
Here’s another point of view of the Murdock BLEVE, featuring a news crew who found that out the hard way.