# What is this “rocket” thingie **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2021, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612 "2021-12-25T00:04:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chickenwrangler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chickenwrangler/32/91_2.png) [@Chickenwrangler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chickenwrangler)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/21 "2021-12-25T11:12:48Z")
As “mixdenny” says Thai rocket festival. Happens every year but not always so successful. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TimfromNapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TimfromNapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimfromNapa)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2021, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/22 "2021-12-26T01:41:43Z")
Right on! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/23 "2021-12-27T09:43:24Z")
Does the rotation of these devices provide any lifting force? - are there any wing elements in there? (I couldn’t really see any), or is it just being lifted by the rockets? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/24 "2021-12-27T17:15:59Z")
I would say it rises by rocket thrust only. The spinning makes it (more) stable. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/25 "2021-12-27T22:56:18Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > the uploader needs castigation for the racist joke in the title. I’m glad I’m not the only one who was bothered by that. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/26 "2021-12-27T23:45:35Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > What more “purpose” does it _need?_ It doesn’t _do_ anything! That’s the beauty of it. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/27 "2021-12-27T23:50:51Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > It doesn’t _do_ anything! > > That’s the beauty of it. Now that’s the spirit! Did anyone ever actually find a source for that? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/28 "2021-12-28T08:27:35Z")
I suspect a uni engineering year or model rocketry club or similar was behind that, the way they were all young men and had team colours and everything, it’s the kind of thing they do.The parachute, especially, indicates that it’s designed for repeatability, whereas most professional fireworks teams seem to go for a spectacular bang and colours over mere height. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/29 "2021-12-28T08:43:58Z")
Me too. I reported the video actually. Comments are turned off for the video, which is interesting… ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/30 "2021-12-28T09:53:31Z")
I guess the wheel is about 7 m in diameter, based on the people standing there while lightning it. During the first four turns (about 50") it appears the wheel rises about double the diameter each revolution, say 15 meters. I may have miscounted, but the wheel makes about 60 turns before it burns out. 60 x 15 ≈ 900 meter. give or take 1/3, something between 600 and 1200 meter. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2021, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/31 "2021-12-29T19:30:25Z")
It’s more impressive than Branson’s effort. It also explains a lot of UFO sightings. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2021, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/32 "2021-12-29T19:47:42Z")
Is it really a racist title if the people posting it are from a third world country? ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2021, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/33 "2021-12-29T21:29:14Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > The parachute, especially, indicates that it’s designed for repeatability, whereas most professional fireworks teams seem to go for a spectacular bang and colours over mere height. I’m thinking the parachute is also a bit of \*_safety_ feature. The “guidance” of these things is problematic and the impact could be fatal at terminal velocity even for something as flimsy. \*safety - watching on video is a close as I’d want to get to this launch. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2021, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/34 "2021-12-29T22:15:31Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Is it really a racist title if the people posting it are from a third world country? Why wouldn’t it be? And are they? ---
**Author:** ![Saffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saffer/32/6440_2.png) [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2021, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/35 "2021-12-29T22:30:46Z")
I’m a little confused. Is it the Ezekiel part or the third world part that is considered racist? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/36 "2021-12-29T22:31:10Z")
For the same reason it’s not racist for a black person to call another black the N-word. And yes, the poster speaks Hindi, so I assume he’s from India. ---
**Author:** ![Saffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saffer/32/6440_2.png) [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2021, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/37 "2021-12-29T22:35:13Z")
As a person who was born and raised in a third world country, I have no problem describing it as such, nor have I met anyone who did. Having said that, there are many examples of common terms that eventually come to be considered unacceptable. This may be one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Saffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saffer/32/6440_2.png) [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2021, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/38 "2021-12-29T22:42:18Z")
Wikipedia seems to say that the term “third world” is going out of fashion for being too broad a brush and is being replaced by more specific terms that describe more granular stages of economic development. It doesn’t mention anything about the term being considered offensive (as far as I can tell). ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2021, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/39 "2021-12-29T22:42:19Z")
The biggest problem with the title is that is disparaging of a rather impressive accomplishment without even having the redeeming quality of being funny. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2021, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612/40 "2021-12-29T23:01:09Z")
The problem isn’t with the term “third world” as such; though I have seen some objections to it, on the grounds that it presumes the primacy of the “first world.” The problem is with the implication that people in the “third world” are so ignorant that they think this is a space program; or so technologically incompetent that they’d start a space program in this fashion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-rocket-thingie/956612.md?page=3)