retirees asso ciation of sandia/cal the rascal...

Retirees Association of Sandia/CAL

August 2016 Issue 42

The RASCAL Register

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M ark Y our CalendarM ark Y our CalendarM ark Y our CalendarM ark Y our Calendar

December 8, 2016 – RASCAL Holiday Luncheon

M y G lass

B irdhouse

B y Carole P rice

I’d been thinking about writing a short story, and when I was asked to write one as part of an anthology—Happy Homicides 4: Fall into Crime— I jumped right on it. The criteria was that it had to be a mystery, include a craft, and set in the fall. It was obvious to me that my protagonist had to be a police volunteer and my craft would be stained glass, both of which I know something about. Short stories are difficult to write. They are usually 3,000-5000 words, tightly written, with a max of five characters, and only one event. The Glass Birdhouse is the title of my short story. Here’s a short summary: Glass artist Bella hopes to find clues about her student’s death in the woman’s unfinished glass birdhouse.

Here is the promo blurb: Happy Homicides 4: Fall into Crime is a bountiful harvest of cozy mysteries, including six novellas and seven short stories, plus a special bonus file of recipes and crafts. Only 99 cents. TWO-fer Alert: Buy Happy Homicides 3: Summertime Crime and get Happy Homicides 4: Fall into Crime absolutely FREE! Two books for the price of one (only 99 cents)—and you get two enormous bonus files full of recipes and craft project ideas for no extra cost. But hurry, this limited offer is good from Aug. 29 to Sept. 4 only. http://bit.ly/fallintocrime. Here’s the cover for Happy Homicides 4: Fall into Crime:

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June 21 , 2016June 21 , 2016June 21 , 2016June 21 , 2016

Bob Hargreaves, Jim Bauman, Noel Baggett Sharron Norris, Marianne Green

Joel Lipkin, Tim Sage, Chuck Hartwig Joanne Culy, John and Rosemary Tootle

Joe Vieira, Tom Brumleve Bill Rego, Donna Davis

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Bill and Barbara Carter Rodger Page, Jane Everett, Louise Nelson, Jorene Page

Barry Schrader Alice Johnson, Dennis Beyer

Al Reichmuth, Jim Mitchell Sandy and Mike Ferrario

David and Jolene Abrahams Jim Bartel, Bonnie Green, Marty

Abrams, Bruce Nevin

RASCAL REGISTER


Tim Sage, John Smugeresky, Neville Moody Bonnie Green, Bonnie Ladd, Connie and Bill Ormond

Carole Price, Emily Joiner, Sharron

Norris, Lee Ann Hubbs, Gail Byran

Barry and Marianne Green

Marge and Elton Mederios

Rosemary Tootle, Donna Davis, Ray and

Connie Baldonado, Dennis Beyer Jim Bartel and Alice Johnson

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W hen A L ittle F eel Isn’t E noughW hen A L ittle F eel Isn’t E noughW hen A L ittle F eel Isn’t E noughW hen A L ittle F eel Isn’t E nough B y A nonym ousB y A nonym ousB y A nonym ousB y A nonym ous

In the early 1970’s Sandia was asked to design and demonstrate a unique recoverable reentry vehicle to allow comparison of actual nose tip erosion with computer calculations. The challenge was to fly a normal trajectory through maximum reentry heating, and then invoke rapid deceleration, followed by a soft landing. We evolved a design using, among other things, a 2-stage parachute for final deceleration and soft landing. But when we tested the parachute at Mach 1 (the speed of sound, about 740 miles per hour) on the sled track, the drogue chute (a small parachute deployed using an explosive charge) failed to pull the main chute from its container. A very experienced engineer, Joe Vieira, was sent to investigate. He carefully watched the parachute rigger (technician) pack both chutes into the cylindrical container. The scheme for pulling out the main chute used a knife-edge line cutter. When the drogue inflated fully, it pulled the washer-shaped knife edge cutter, supposedly cutting a line through the center of the washer, and releasing the main chute. But this was where the failure occurred on our sled test: the knife-edge washer didn’t cut the line. One step in the assembly puzzled Joe. The cutter was, in fact, a commercial washer with the center hole sharpened to a knife-edge by a local machine shop. When the rigger got to the place where he needed the washer, he reached into a bucket filled with them, feeling several with his thumb until he found one to his liking. The others were left in the bucket.

Joe set up a simple test measuring the actual force needed to cut the restraining cord. He found a huge variation washer to washer, and no correlation between washers the rigger thought sharp and the force needed to cut the cord. He then simply scrapped all washers needing more than one quarter of the force generated by the drogue. Only the few passing this test repeatedly made it to the parachute assembly stage. The rigger’s thumb was retired, and we never had another parachute failure.


Recent Deaths:

Name Date

Alan Skinrood 6-16-16 Richard Feil 6-21-16 Louis Wittkopp 7-07-16 Elmond Holbrook 7-22-16 Mary Rivenbark 7-24-16

Thanks to Roger Everett for supplying the following URL’s. We thought you might find them interesting. They are links to more than just Sandia material, also WWII and nuclear power plant disasters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LKXkLVJq-0 Sandia Careers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhaE1k8dEO8 Sandia-Who We Are

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4crXLIArWQ Sandia Lab Story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTRVlUT665U LANL-Feynman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j-Fgvs-zMU The Last Bomb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a8B7oYVtNY B-29

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL-zRFEt9lI B-17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjRQXjcY6u0 Leno B-17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTbHoI4TCM8 Dogfights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZomKStO7Ek German Aircraft

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHmzHlyetbs Panzer Tank

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBx2Bu-jnOs Largest WWII Submarine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_BL0M08-B4 Hitler’s Enigma

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjvnrSHln-Y Hitler’s New Germany

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8DxhS8wpoI WWII Submarine Warfare


Thank Y ouThank Y ouThank Y ouThank Y ou

We want to thank all of you who have contributed articles and photos on your vacations, hobbies, moves to new locations, and other informative subjects. We really appreciate your excellent contributions to the Newsletter. Keep them coming! Also, thanks to Jim & Glenda Muir, and Roger Everett for all the party photos.

R A SCA L D uesR A SCA L D uesR A SCA L D uesR A SCA L D ues

Our dues are based on a calendar year. That is, January through December. Now, as in the past, if you join or renew in August (Sandia Luncheon) consider your dues paid through the next year. 'Pay in August 2016 and you are paid through December 2017. In other words, when that big ball in New York drops to ring in the New Year, that's a reminder to pay your RASCAL dues.

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Sandia H ealth, B enefits, and Sandia H ealth, B enefits, and Sandia H ealth, B enefits, and Sandia H ealth, B enefits, and

E m ployee Services (H B E )E m ployee Services (H B E )E m ployee Services (H B E )E m ployee Services (H B E )::::

HBE Customer Service Phone: (800) 417-2634, ext. 844-4237 or 505-844-HBES(4237)

HBE Customer Service Web Site: http://hbe.sandia.gov

OneExchange: 1-888-598-7809

https://medicare.oneexchange.com/sandia


RASCAL Board Members: Chair: Marie Dremalas Secretary: Bonnie Ladd Treasurer: Roger Everett Database/Distribution: Jim Muir Glenda Muir Event Chair: Charles Hartwig Historian: Gail Bryan Newsletter Editor: Bernie Marx Member-at-Large: Jim Bartel

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