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Rocket City Rednecks: Hillbilly Armageddon Pictures

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  • Photo: Sitting by woodstove
  • Photo: Back of a pickup
  • Photo: Drilling into wood
  • Photo: Sawing a keg
  • Photo: Chain harness on beer keg
  • Photo: Welding chain
  • Photo: Outlining a plan on the chalkboard
  • Photo: Trebuchet schematics
  • Photo: Swivel arm
  • Photo: Swivel arm with beer keg
  • Photo: Talking in field
  • Photo: The buggy
  • Photo: Setting up the trebuchet
  • Photo: Watermelons in wheelbarrow
  • Photo: Shooting shotguns
  • Photo: Travis aiming
  • Photo: Aiming at watermelons
  • Photo: Launching the trebuchet
  • Photo: Watermelon splatters
  • Photo: Watermelon and explosive
  • Photo: Making target map
  • Photo: Aiming shotguns

  • Sitting by a Woodstove

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Travis and Rog discuss their new project, to test how Earth can be protected from a falling comet.

  • Back of a Pickup

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Rog and friend sit on back of pickup. Using a scientific process, the team was able to destroy an incoming object before it reached the targeted area.

  • Building a Trebuchet

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Rog drills into wood. For the project, a trebuchet will be made to simulate the trajectory of a comet hurdling toward Earth.

  • Sawing a Keg

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    After constructing the frame of the trebuchet, the team decides to use a keg filled with water as a counterweight.

  • Chain Harness on Beer Keg

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    A chain harness on the beer keg being used as the counterweight for the swivel arm on the trebuchet.

  • Welding Chain

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Pete welds the chain connections to the beer keg.

  • Plan on the Chalkboard

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Travis and Pete outline a plan on the chalkboard. One method of eliminating an incoming comet is explosives. For their frozen watermelon experiment, this scales the explosives to approximately one in one hundred firecrackers.

  • Trebuchet Schematics

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Travis goes over trebuchet schematics with Pete, Daddy, and Michael.

  • Swivel Arm

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Rog places the swivel arm on the trebuchet.

  • Swivel Arm with Beer Keg

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Travis, Michael, and Rog test out swivel arm with beer keg.

  • Talking in a Field

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    As their watermelon experiment continues, the team reflects on what might be the best and most efficient method of destroying a deadly Earth-bound comet.

  • The Buggy

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Michael, Rog, Travis, and Pete move trebuchet with buggy.

  • Setting up the Trebuchet

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Rog sets up the trebuchet as Travis and Michael watch.

  • Watermelons in Wheelbarrow

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Watermelons in wheelbarrow for launching on the trebuchet

  • Shooting Shotguns

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Travis, Michael, Pete, and Daddy aim shotguns. The theory of missile defense is to send a bunch of projectiles in front of the incoming missile. Hopefully one of those will hit it or maybe a bunch of them will hit it and destroy it. A really easy way to simulate that is with shotguns.

  • Travis Aiming

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Close-up of Travis as he takes aim at a watermelon that is being launched into the air

  • Aiming at Watermelons

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Pete and Michael take aim at launched watermelons.

  • Launching the Trebuchet

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Rog lets the trebuchet launch.

  • Watermelon Splatters

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    A watermelon splatters onto the Rocket City landing board that was spray-painted as a map of Alabama and surrounding states.

  • Watermelon and Explosive

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    This watermelon is about to be blown up.

  • Making Target Map

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Travis is making a target map. For the purposes of their experiment, a map of the southeastern United States was constructed to the scale of the comet. Right in the center is Rocket City.

  • Aiming Shotguns

    Photograph by NGC and Flight 33

    Travis, Michael, Pete, and Daddy hold shotguns. In this approach, the team tests the efficiency of using shotguns to destroy a watermelon before it crashes into a map of the southeastern Unites States. This method has similarities to missile defense.

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