Moments before death 3 of 4

He didn't even get to see the launch. Should ask for his money back.

At least it was quick.

SMPlayer - has the ability to go backwards and forwards ONE frame at a time - , - or - . - and this is very useful when wanting to get specific frames for specific reasons. https://www.smplayer.info/ ------ Oddly enough, the RPG launcher eqplodes in the middle, sending his head into oblivion, there is a big cloud of smoke, his body has more or less copletely hit the ground, AND THEN the complete rocket and warhead slowly spirals away, going end over end probably landing 7 or 8 meters away.....

The RPG is not lit, smoking, no flames, nothing... All I can think of is that perhaps the combustible part of the lanch process, has deteriorated from age and humidity (?) - no idea of the chemistry of this unit.... so this is guessing... and the propellant has degraded into nitroglycerine and stabilisers and cellulose and acidic by products, and that has detonated, instead of combusted very rapidly, and or the round has been damaged, and or the tubes been blocked to stop the round launching or the exhaust gas from leaving the end... Rusted up? A dead rat? OR it's a saboutaged bit of ammunition - where 1 in 100 rounds is tampered with to kill the operator... and left behind.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/....science/article/abs/ ---------- https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA043274.pdf --------- https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10111284/ ------- This I guess covers most of the issues... I suspect it's OLD amunition, and it's degraded in storage, from a propellant (burns fast) back to an explosive (just goes bang).

https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id..../eprint/10111284/1/S

There is a ton of stuff in here... This is why the proper LONG TERM storage of ammnition is critical , and it has a finite SAFE shelf life. Dad or Grandad's old cache of WW2 ammo for his rifles, could prove to be very dangerous. It's the speed of combustion - controlled and regulated, that creates the GOOD working chamber pressure, but when the powder degrades slowly over time, the rate of burning, can accelerate - from lighting up shock sensitive explosive (bad for guns - can shatter barrels) with extremely high burn speeds - leading to a HUGE chamber pressure increase. Nitrocelllose based ammunition propellant goes the way of nitrocellulose films... they just age and degrade regardless. Better storage is a lot better than bad storage, but it just goes "off" regardless. You can keep fresh and pasteurised milk in the refrigerator, or you can leave it in the hot sun... it still goes "off" regardless..... BUT working to KNOWN storage conditions, such as very COLD and DRY and DARK warehousing, made especially for ammunition stockpiling, means (making this up) that GOOD ammunition should be GOOD for 30 years..... BUT really bad hot and cold and hot and cold storage in humid conditions, means the ammunition propellant can break down and be dangerous to use in 15 - 20 years... So that is my guess - OLD ammunition in HOT tropical SE Asia, with high humidity....

Chapter 4 Mechanisms of denitration under ambient conditions 4.1 Introduction 4.1.1 Thermolytic reactions The first stage of thermolytic decomposition for nitrate esters is generally agreed to be homolytic fission of the O-N bond linking the nitrate to the alkyl chain, leading to the loss of •NO2 (equation 4.1) (172–174). Though nitrate homolysis is an endothermic reaction, the weak O-N bond has a typical dissociation enthalpy of 42 kcal mol-1 and is easily cleaved when exposed to elevated temperatures, UV light or impact (175). Whilst the thermolytic degradation of energetic materials has been widely studied experimentally, the ambient, slow ageing mechanisms are less well documented. Low-temperature decomposition routes are influenced by many factors over a protracted lifetime, and in practical use, materials are usually subject to evolving environmental conditions. External changes in pressure, humidity, stress and temperature cycling introduce variation in the degradation patterns of energetic materials. The presence of moisture has been observed to lower the activation energy and accelerate decomposition (173). Internal factors including impurities, residual solvent, and crystal growth within the bulk, also alter decomposition behaviour. R−ONO2 −−→ R−O• + •NO2 (4.1) RH−ONO2 −−→ R−−O + HNO2 (4.2) The degradation of nitrate esters at temperatures over 100°C is primarily via ther- molytic processes, whilst under 100°C, decomposition is largely thought to be the result of hydrolysis (176).

A good starting point. Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 A brief history of nitrocellulose

@Life_N_Times_of_Shane_T_Hanson: Shane thank you for the in depth play by play analysis and links and your wisdom greatly appreciated looks like I have a whole of reading and catching up to do on ROCKET LAUNCHERS :D I thought the same theory as you and either bad storage or tampering aka sabotage and someone wanted him dead and made to look like accident and like you said at least it was quick. Once again thanks

@DIO DOOM NUTZ_TALICHADJESUS33: Yeah I am smart enough to hand the issues over those who know a lot more about so many other things than I do.... It's one thing to say, "Oh bummer - the RGP rocket motor exploded without even launching" ---- but it's another thing to know the science and the chemistry from those who have researched and tested all of this stuff...... THEN there is being able to do all the research and chemistry etc., without going sky high in little bits yourself..... Even on rescuing really ancient (chemically speaking) nitrocellulose films.... I kind of wish I could be a bit like Kim Peek.... BUT there are so many things to get into.

@DIO DOOM NUTZ_TALICHADJESUS33: ------- 1.3 Nitrocellulose degradation Even under optimal storage conditions, NC undergoes slow decomposition over time. A detailed understanding of these mechanisms is imperative in the design of efficient and eco- nomical processes for NC disposal. Whilst many studies in the past century have shed light on the various decomposition schemes, a review of the literature reveals conflicting opinion on the general mechanisms of degradation. Most notably, a distinct lack of mechanistic detail hinders improvement of processing and storage treatments, or effective redirection of degradation products to more useful substances, such as plant fertiliser (16, 47). Understanding of the mechanism is also crucial for control of the harmful materials re- leased into the atmosphere as part of disposal or the ageing process. Traditional methods of disposal usually include incineration of waste NC (figure 1.5) (48). In order to limit safety risks, propellants are often burned as an aqueous suspension. Specialised equipment (figure 1.6) allows sequential evaporation of water, drying, followed by ignition of the propellant in a safe manner, within a controlled environment. Combustion gases are then scrubbed with water before release into the environment (49). Regulation on incineration as a waste dis- posal method has driven experimentation with alternative treatments. Alkaline hydrolysis, acidic hydrolysis, photochemical, biodegradation, mechanical, or combined methods have been studied as more sustainable techniques for removal. 1.4 Environmental impact of NC waste products NC is extremely flammable when dry and so is usually kept in solvent to prevent detonation when under storage (76, 77). Mixed with at least 25% of water or alcohol, NC is com- pletely stabilised (59). This has facilitated the use of aqueous solvents as dispersion and transport mediums in manufacturing processes, leading to small NC fibres, or “fines”, in output streams (78). Demilitarisation activities have resulted in large volumes of NC waste that regulatory action now prevents the disposal of via incineration (79–81).A high level of side group substitution relative to cellulose, in addition to its insolubility, contributes to resistance to microbial degradation (82, 83). As a result, NC exhibits poor mobility and a long lifetime in the environment. Burning releases a myriad of toxic and harmful products into the atmosphere (50). N2O is a potent greenhouse gas but is a known decomposition product. It can be produced via a number of potential mechanistic routes, including oxi- dation of liberated nitrate species. Knowledge of the key formation pathways would allow manipulation of product formulations and storage conditions to limit N2O release. 36 Chapter 1. Introduction Whilst NC itself is relatively harmless to most mammals, macroinvertebrates, fish and algae (35, 84), this cannot be said for the effluents from NC production and any nitro by- products. Nitration, bleaching and delignification solvents require treatment before dis- charge into the environment, due to toxicity to the aquatic environment (85–87). In addi- tion, the fibrous nature of small NC fines in wastewater can alter the natural habitat at the bottom of ponds and bodies of water, by covering and thus limiting the oxygen access to benthic organisms (84). Although NC itself is unstable and degrades gradually over time, its insolubility means that decomposition under natural environmental conditions is slow, as in the case of discarded munitions or explosive residues (88). 1.5 Motivation Despite its long history, NC is still an essential ingredient in many propellant and lacquer formulations today, with its versatility spanning an extensive range of products and appli- cations. The diversity of its use means that we come into contact with it in some shape or form everyday. Whilst efforts have been made to substitute it with other polymeric binders in attempt to reduce the manufacturing risk it poses due to its volatility, this has only been partly successful (89). NC, amongst other energetic materials have caused many thermal runaway reactions, leading to accidents and explosions worldwide. Insufficient understanding of the internal processes has led to unintended explosions during storage and at nitration industrial plants, and in the most severe cases, casualties (2, 46, 90–93) . It is therefore imperative that we seek to clarify the understanding of the ageing mechanisms to inform the reduction of associated risks, whilst more effectively preserving existing NC stock. NC disintegration is also of relevance in the preservation of historical artefacts and cinematographic film, where knowledge of the decomposition processes are crucial to the maintenance of items of historical value (31, 94).

@DIO DOOM NUTZ_TALICHADJESUS33: Explosives and propellants is one thing, as are all the issues with nitrocellulose, it's base stocks, the purity of the materials and processing etc.. like what goes into ancient billiard balls is not the same as rocket motors... ... None the less, many of the older formulations of "plastics" have real problems with aging, time and chemical break down..... Like these radio cabinets, they are a chemical variant of Bakelite called Catelite - and slowly with time, they chemically break down and slowly rot and discolour and turn to shit... There is not a thing you can do to stop it either... I forget the exact process, but the formaldhyde does some worse things and the plastic decomposes. https://www.decophobia.com/cat....alin-emerson-au-190- and here too - if you get an Etsy account. https://au.pinterest.com/pin/155303887425106851/

I mean Pininterest.