r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/InsaneMocktail • Sep 08 '26

Video University of Waterloo Students Launch Rocket Breaking World Record

41k Upvotes

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7.0k

u/coldpassion Sep 08 '26

Breaking world record of....? Speed? Height? Noise? Spins? Fuel Consumption? All the previous?

3.3k

u/DiggWuzBetter Sep 08 '26 edited Sep 08 '26

Article about the launch and record: https://uwaterloo.ca/news/engineering/waterloos-student-rocketry-team-breaks-world-record

It’s a record for greatest altitude achieved by an amateur liquid bi-propellant rocket. The rocket achieved an altitude of 19.35 km (63,497 feet), which honestly is less than I would have guessed from this video. That’s roughly 2.2x the height of Everest (8.85 km above sea level), and to me it’s surprising that there’s a mountain nearly half this height, it just seems so insanely high in this video.

777

u/WPintheshower Sep 08 '26

Adding Mount Everest to things that "sound like too much work", after seeing just how high this rocket went.

310

u/elbow8075 Sep 08 '26

Think positively: After you ascend to base camp at 17k, then it's only two miles straight up!

114

u/Jeathro77 Sep 09 '26

Can I get a couple of Sherpas to carry me?

151

u/Rabbitknight Sep 09 '26

That's what most 'climbers' are already basically doing.

95

u/Jeathro77 Sep 09 '26

https://i.imgur.com/3GoRJs5.jpeg

20

u/LifeguardDry7372 Sep 09 '26

I knew what this was gonna be right away

7

u/Commercial-Age4750 Sep 09 '26

Exactly what I expected. Well done

11

u/Same-Suggestion-1936 Sep 09 '26

If they can smoke cigarettes while they do

1

u/Edarneor Sep 12 '26

Is there enough oxygen for the cig to burn? 😄

5

u/oldgus Sep 09 '26

You sure can

2

u/Tasty_Cow_1443 Sep 09 '26

Yah, but my sisters boyfriend said that the ladders don't go straight up, they go sideways over cravasses.

3

u/elbow8075 Sep 09 '26

Sometimes 2-3 ladders lashed together with rope if that helps you feel safer. Not on top of each other mind you. End to end.

1

u/Jeathro77 Sep 09 '26

What's a crav, and why are they putting ladders over their asses?

2

u/Unable-Log-4870 Sep 09 '26

For reference, the hike up Half Dome is a little less than one mile vertically I think. Lots of people have done that. I think it’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I definitely couldn’t do it today. But lots of people don’t find it all that challenging.

2

u/gertalives Sep 09 '26

Too many positives to list. Don’t forget the imminent risk of death, insane cost, and massive environmental impact of this literal ego trip!

1

u/-StatesTheObvious Sep 09 '26

I couldn't wrap my brain around this even if you didn't mix units.

1

u/Unbelivabley_Smol Sep 09 '26

You can get to base camp for only 17k € ? /s

1

u/Sexy-Games Sep 09 '26

The corpses on Everest were once very motivated people...

I'm stayin in bed.

1

u/LongHaulSurvivor Sep 12 '26

Everest is 8.85 kms above sea level, so it’s almost six miles straight up after you reach the summit…

1

u/TS1_Throw Sep 13 '26

2 kms which is much less than 2 miles

1

u/Lucky-Wind4755 Sep 14 '26

If you could see the summit from the beach, it might provide better context

0

u/xteve Sep 09 '26

Hopefully with no parasitic insects from base camp.