Re: CalStar 07 picture naming contest

I wasn't there at the time, so I'll have to tell the story
second-hand. The Jetboil cup was nearly full of water and people were
testing how fast it could boil.

It boiled quickly, then (with the flame still running full-blast) it
overflowed energetically. Bubbling water cascaded down all sides and
ran into the flame at the bottom, causing flares and steam bursts, but
not actually snuffing the flame.

The turn-off valve was located at bottom center, inside the cascade of
boiling water, and nobody dared put their fingers in there to turn off
the valve.

It kept overflowing with people standing around in a panic. Some
shouted suggestions. Carl Larson recounted later, that many of the
suggestions weren't good ideas. Carl said it was like, "Houston we've
had a problem", followed by panicky ideas that would actually make
things worse, such as, "Open the spacecraft door! Undock the LEM!
Fire all thrusters at once!"

I can't remember how they got it turned off in the end. We read later
in the Jet-Boil instructions, that you shouldn't start with a
nearly-full cup when bringing water to a boil.

Randal Muller asked:
> I have never heard the story, and I cannot find it in the archives.
>
> Can someone tell it?

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