Texas A&M University is going to blow stuff up in the name of science . At worst, they’re definitely proving that you’re a sucker if you choose any other field of scientific research other than the one where you get to explode stuff to learn how to mitigate damage from real-world explosion hazards. Inside its newly launched Detonation Research Test Facility (DRTF), researchers now have the largest academic lab on Earth dedicated to controlled explosions. It’s a carefully engineered facility designed to recreate terrifyingly destructive forces and, hopefully, control them enough to be able to better understand them. Videos by VICE At the center of the facility is an almost 500-foot tube filled with a methane-air mixture. When ignited, it produces a shockwave that can reach speeds of Mach 5. The facility, outfitted with all sorts of sensors, lasers, and high-speed diagnostic tools, captures every fraction of a second of the explosion as flames rapidly progress toward full-on detonation.…