Re: OT: Repeatably lobbing "projectiles"

On 11/24/2024 4:30 AM, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

... I had assumed "water" just because it "flows" once the bag has

ruptured.

(the ruptured bags represent minimal litter and the water will
eventually evaporate.

 Use ice for the projectile, there would be no litter at all.  If it were
pointed and had the right aerodynamic properties it would embed
point-first in the ground and not bounce - but it could be dangerous if
it hit anything other than soft ground.

Or, make it *hollow* so it just shatters and leaves small, thin ice shards
behind!!
[The trouble would be storing them prior to launch so they don't
melt and stick together in the magazine!]

What if there was a "plunger" that provided the seal, with the "payload"
sitting ON the plunger, while loaded?  E.g., like a linear catapult.

 Yes, that would work.  The critical point is that the air flow and
maximum obstructed pressure are already established before the
projectile enters the accelerating region, so there is no need for
accurate valve timing.
 How about a spherical bag (toy balloon?) full of water sitting in a
polystyrene cup which maintained its shape as it was accelerated up the
barrel.  The cup and balloon would separate in the air, with the cup
falling near the launch point where it could be retrieved and re-used.

Couldn't the plunger be "polystyrene cup shaped" so it stays behind
for reuse, automatically?

Could a "gate" behind the ONE projectile not serve the purpose of the
second?  Or, the plunger I mentioned, above?

 Yes.  I was following on from the 'row of peas' already stored in the
barrel, but if you have a magazine on the side you could load one at a
time.  That could get messy if the projectiles were water-filled bags.