GoPro Captures QM1 Rocket Smoke Ring Before Melting
The widespread use of GoPro cameras has allowed for some of the most insane moments to be caught on tape, and we keep coming up with new and inventive, if not somewhat risky, ways to use the diminutive action cameras. One perfect example is Orbital ATK placing a GoPro just 25 feet from the nozzle of its insane QM1 rocket motor during a test firing in the Utah desert 2 years ago.
The intensity of the engine’s exhaust eventually melted the camera’s housing and destroyed the GoPro, but the memory card managed to survive the blast and the footage was salvaged. The massive motor – which produced 3.6 MILLION pounds of thrust – had a foam plug in the nozzle to keep out debris, and when the ignition button was pressed, the plug was blown out, creating a perfect smoke ring that the GoPro captured for a single frame before the massive eruption of flames.
