Mindless Crap February 2001 Stump Me Questions (and Answers)

Stump Me Questions Answered in February 2001

Q.: I have a question to stump the master. The Baltimore Ravens until recently were the Cleveland Browns, who were an NFL team. Since an NFL team can't play another NFL team in the final game, some switches had to have been made in the past. Here's the question:

Which teams changed leagues from the NFL to what became the AFC? When did the transition take place?
- Stuart S.

A.: Come on. This took me less than five minutes to track down. In fact, I think this one set the record for the fastest find.

The AFL-NFL merger was planned in 1966 and implemented in 1970. NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced the merger on June 8, 1966. As for the teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Colts all moved from the NFL to the AFC.

Q.: How much sperm does an African elephant produce in one year?
- No name given

A.: OK, now what was the rule about asking a question that doesn't have an answer? Right...DON'T ASK IT. And here's the answer I got from a zoologist at the Indianapolis Zoo (home to one of the best elephant exhibits in the world):

"You know, I don't think anybody's actually spent the time to count them. It's hard enough to get them to mate in the first place."

Q.: How long do the main engines on the space shuttle run during a typical launch?
- Thomas C.

A.: OK, here's where things got interesting. I actually ruled this one as a tie rather than an incorrect answer. The person who asked this question works at NASA, so I would hope he would have known the answer (he obviously did). The following is my answer and his reply.

OK, according to NASA (and apparently you work there) the rockets fire for about 10 minutes. This is a quote from a NASA Web site (http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts_overview.html):

"The Space Shuttle is launched in an upright position, with thrust provided by the three Space Shuttle engines and the two SRB. After about 2 minutes, the two boosters are spent and are separated from the external tank. They fall into the ocean at predetermined points and are recovered for reuse. The Space Shuttle main engines continue firing for about 8 minutes. They shut down just before the craft is inserted into orbit."

So taking the 2 minutes that the SRBs and SSMEs are firing, plus the 8 minutes that the SSMEs fire by themselves, I've got the 10 minute answer. I'm about to put a call into Kennedy Space Center's Public Affairs office. Do I need to verify my answer?

Thomas's reply:

Close... very close...

Check out this site:

http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/mission_profile.html#mission_profile

It's part of the same page that you referenced earlier, but the MISSION PROFILE section isn't as misleading as the SPACE SHUTTLE REQUIREMENTS section. There is a discrepancy on the page in the use of the word "continues". They actually fire for only about 8 minutes (520 seconds).

So now you see why I've ruled this one a tie. I did give the right information and even offered to call NASA to verify it. It was the NASA Web site that provided misleading information. However, I can't claim total victory because, as Thomas points out, the answer was actually 8 minutes.