A philosophical question.

[PGerringer]

"Is the glass half full, or half empty?"

I woke up this morning with this burning question. I don't know if it was the spicy Hawaiian pizza or doing the Mirage Modification page late last night. Anyways, the question is at what point does a repair cease to be a repair and becomes a new rocket?

For example: A four foot rocket becomes a lawn dart. To repair it, one would need to cut 2 feet off the top, replace, and add a new nosecone. Is that a repair or a new rocket?

Another example: Same rocket, same problem but this time it comes in arse first. Fins, motor mount, and RMS casing - destroyed. The top 2 feet and the nosecone survive without a scratch. Is this a repair or new rocket?

- philosophically

 

[MarkABrown]

Just as long as it flys again!

Seriously, I think its completely subjective. If the owner decides to keep the same name and feels that it is a repair then it is the same rocket. If, on the other hand, the owner feels that the changes warrant a new name or that it doesn't "feel" like the same rocket then it isn't.

 

[KenParker]

I tend to agree with Mark.

When Carl's A2 augered, he salvaged what he could, added some additional parts, and now has the "RAAM". I'm pretty sure Carl thinks of it as a new rocket.

With yours, you have kept the piece that says "Mirage", but you have added a lot of new stuff. So it's kind of your call: do you just think of it as a repaired and modified Mirage, or do you think of it as a new rocket?

Maybe you could just turn the name around and call it the "egariM."

"Is a backwards Mirage still a Mirage, or is it an hallucination?"

 

[Milo]

Well if you were to wreck your POS... er... Buick and got it fixed would it be a new car?

Wow man that is deep...

 

[KenParker]

There we were having a polite philosopical discussion, and here comes Milo with a 5 gallon bucket of water..... very cold water, I might add. A major dose of rude reality.

But, on the other hand..... he definitely had a point there.

"What does a guy do when he's sick? Why, he sells BUICKS to RALPH, of course...."

 

[Milo]

sorry

 

[PGerringer]

A better question Mr. Milo SmartButt, is that if I wrecked the POS, and it required a new frame and engine, would that be a new car? I guess the odometer would have to be reset. Hmmm.

Specifically, the Mirage was a repair. But sounds like the answer to the question is in "the eye of the beholder."

Speaking of new rocket, check out my thread at https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=406

 

[Austin]

I consider the RAAM as a scratch built rocket, as it was made with leftovers and extra parts, then designed on RockSim. It varied so much from the AMRAAM 2 that is was in no way another Amraam.

It's pretty much your call...