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EXPO 2000 Catapult ball

On the west ground next to the branch of McD (See also U.S.A.-Pavilion) you will find this catapult ball. It is a round construction of pipes, in which two people will be seated and tied to it. The ball is tied to the ground. An elastic rope connecting each side of the ball to a large pole on each side is fastened by a steelrope. The ball is then released and bounces up and down. The fare is DM 50,00 per person, not bad for a couple of minutes bouncing. After watching for a little while and admiring the queue (longer than in front of some pavilions, at least in June 2000!), I decided that this is not what I would like to try out!

While I was standing in line in front of the Recycling Bowl it happened: The right steel rope broke and the ball went off against the left pole. Fortunately, the kids inside weren't harmed severely. In the Expo Journal and / or the HAZ you could read that both will receive another EXPO ticket.

In the meantime the catapult ball was repaired and bounces again. Obviously, the technical surveillance team (TÜV) didn't find a reason to stop it. I wasn't sure whether I should publish this in the net, but I think that anybody interested should be abled to read it.

When the accident happened a young man of 25 stood close to me in the queue of the recycling bowl and said, that these machines are not completely secure. In their riding agreement it is supposed to be written that their is a risk of about 2% of having an accident of some sort. I didn't check this out. But isn't it strange how you can do something with such a risk simply for fun? I thought that life is already dangerous enough!

picture	legend	picture	legend
	In the ball two persons are seated.		Bouncing up and down for their money!
	The queue was really long. Strange if you consider the fare of DEM 50,00 for a ride of a few minutes.
	In the upper third of the right pole the rest of the steel rope can be seen. The ball is already on the ground next to the left pole.		Police, fire brigade and ambulance arrived quickly.
	As you can see an accident always attracts people.		Now the security guards have cleared the place to allow for the investigations to begin.

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