JATO (N.A.C. whatsoever . . . )

[Mike Arman]

When I was about 12, I discovered that I could take a CO-2 cartridge, let
the CO-2 out, and fill it with match heads. I then added about a foot of
fuse from a Jetex model rocket engine, put the cartridge into a pipe, lit
the fuse, and ducked down the stairs to the basement entrance. The
cartridge departed the end of the pipe with a most satisfying whoosh and a
big cloud of smoke, and flew several hundred feet. Targeting was
rudimentary, to say the least - you pointed the pipe in the general
direction you wanted the cartridge to go, and hoped. "Range safety" was
totally non-existent.

That summer, my father decided we needed a rubber raft because we were
going to Cape Cod (Truro) for a few weeks, so we went to a local army-navy
surplus store and bought one. It was inflated by pulling a lanyard, which
discharged a CO-2 cartridge which must have been a foot long and three
inches in diameter. I took one look at that, and my eyes lit up; "I could
put THAT thing into ORBIT!!!!"

Strangely, once we owned the raft, I never saw or was ever able to find the
cartridge. I guess my father knew me better than he let on, and there is a
good chance he saved my life, because I fully planned to launch that
cartridge at the VERY FIRST opportunity.

Now that I am a little older, and hopefully a little wiser, I realize that
making it disappear promptly was probably a good move on his part. I have
since, however, found the actual formula for the propellant that goes into
JATO bottles. It isn't complicated, but I think I won't try it because I
really do like living.

Best Regards,

Mike Arman