The Mythbusters screwed up in a big way. It’s one of those things that’s funny since no one got hurt, but that could have very very easily been a different story, given what a cannonball is capable of doing. I’m sure the Alameda County sheriff’s office is pretty spooked too, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t let them do projectile experiments there anymore.
Personally, if it were me, I’d be happy to settle with Discovery Networks in exchange for them fixing what they broke, and letting me be on a Mythbusters show :)
And also getting to fire the cannon yourself!
Have Adam and Jamie done many other experiments with artillery-type items?
They’ve done more than a few gun-tests, and lots of tests involving explosives…this may be a case of knowledge and skills in one field not fully transferring to another field.
That is, knowledge about blowing things up (or testing guns) doesn’t quite translate into knowledge about test artillery.
Myth: ???
House: Busted!
They’ve done a few. At least one involving a wood canon which turned out to ‘possibly’ be feasible. But when overloaded, they got surprised by the results.
Was glad to see Top Shot add a cannon this season. :-)
I’d also ask to keep that cannon ball
;)
I’d ask the cast to sign the cannonball. :)
Definitely!
The Alameda bomb range is backstopped by fairly gently sloping hills; which work fine as a backstop for a high velocity rifle round or piece of shrapnel. The problem with a cannon ball is that it’s a heavy projectile at a relatively low muzzle velocity. An impact with a gentle hill slope, especially if it’s rocky is far more likely to skip (just like this!) than embed itself in the landscape.
This is what happens when you don’t have actual ballistics experts on your show.
I’ve never been able to stand Mythbusters for very long, as I’ve always wished they’d put an engineering student with a 3.0 or better GPA on their staff as a consultant. The majority of their physical explanations for how or why things work, or don’t, sometimes border on the absurd. I don’t remember any of their features involving firearms as being much better.
I’d want payment in the form of Kari Byron’s phone number … but I’m a cad.
Anyone else see that bizarre column in the WaPo about this?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/mythbusters-misfires-with-cannonball-stunt/2011/12/07/gIQAL87XdO_story.html
““MythBusters,†a reality series we now know is a darling of conservative Republicans, decided this week to bust a few myths in the San Francisco Bay Area (that epicenter of liberalism) by firing a cannonball that crashed into a house, tore through an occupied bedroom, careened across a six-lane highway, skimmed another house and then attacked a minivan, which surrendered immediately.”
uhhh….WHAT?