Mythbusters Recap: Ming Dynasty Astronaut
Ming Dynasty Astronaut. A 15th century astronomer in the Ming Dynasty was rumored to have strapped 47 rockets to his chair and launched himself into space. So Adam and Jamie round up some bamboo, load them up with gunpowder and... can't even produce enough thrust to lift the rockets themselves off the ground, much less the chair and someone on top of them.
They enlist the help of some amateur rocket builders, increase the efficiency and... blow Buster to bits. So more than likely, our intrepid explorer blew himself up, and those watching just assumed he launched himself into space instead. The attempt to use modern-day equivalent rockets worked a bit better, but the chair was imbalanced, so it just tipped over and made a pretty flame until it burned out. Busted.
Free Energy: G-Strain Amplifier: Designed to pick up energy from the curvature of the planet, Adam and Jamie plug it inline between a battery and a small motor. This means that the contraption should run longer than a similar battery that is connected directly to the motor. End result? One motor does indeed run longer than the other. The bad news? It's the one connected directly to the battery. Busted.
Free Energy: Temperature Wheel. By creating a wheel of tanks containing liquid, and heating the liquid, which rises to the upper tanks, the wheel turns, which in turn produces energy as the top tanks fall, which in turn rises as the (now) lower liquid vaporizes, then drops, etc. The only problem? It's really, really, really slow. Busted.
Free Energy: Ambient Power Module. There is no question that there is power in the air. The question is if there's enough to power anything. After realizing that Adam burned out the first kit, and then realizing that they mistakenly ordered two of them so they could continue, they have enough power to... power a small wristwatch. Probably not too useful. Busted.
Free Energy: Bedini Motor. The Bedini Motor is supposed to be something of an alternator, that as the motor runs, the Bedini device recharges the battery. But without gas to actually power the motor, so you've got a perpetual motion machine. The only problem is that it doesn't actually seem to run. Busted.
Killer Ceiling Fan. Lest you worry about jumping on your bed and chopping off your head on the ceiling fan, the crew is here to see if that's really possible. As it turns, out the answer is... no. Not even if you soup up your fan with a lawn mower engine and some really sharp, custom made blades. In that case, you could hurt yourself really badly, but you wouldn't lose your head, even then. With an off-the-shelf model, you might get a concussion, but you'd probably not even need to go to the hospital, unless you hit something on the way down. Still, probably better not to try and disprove this one at home. Don't say I didn't warn you. Busted.
