GRGR: the smell of exploded rockets

[jill]

Dave said
                >snip<
> 
> And I'd appreciate any suggestions for further reading (of GR itself,
> even) along those lines, onlist, offlist, telepathically, via subspace
> radio, however.  

I have been enjoying the book Peenemunde to Canaveral/ Hutzel. Hutzel lived
and worked in Peenemunde during the end of the war as a German Engineer.
When during testing, rockets would go awry sometimes and the flames and
debris would be observed and data would be taken, etc. 

"As soon as the all clear sounded, we went out to have a look." Firemen
were still flushing thee ground and the twisted remains of 17.003. A
strange smell which reminded me of gooseberry jam filled the air." 

later, after another explosion or accident with a rocket:

"I got to my feet and ran back. I found a giant crater, about 35 feet in
diameter and nearly as deep. It had already started to fill with ground
water. A few missile parts were visible; the familiar egg-shaped peroxide
container, the combusion chamber, badly smashed, and a few twisted fuel
lines. I caught again that peculiar smell of gooseberry jam."

so, maybe there is some historical fact behind Pynchon's smells and
conditioning and rockets.

-jill