Space is wide open.
- Thread starter babe
- Start date
Topic One Space Capsules vs. the Van Allen Belt.
I've seen some new designs for space capsules. Seems everybody believes a simple titanium can won't really get people out there. Here's some links. Designs with the Van Allen radiation belt in particular.
www.space.com
www.sparkfun.com
We have sent stuff to Mars and collected data for years. We've sent stuff off a lot further and collected data for a long time. The Van Allen radiation belt has a shape that enables low-exposure transits and re-entries, but we are also designing capsules that could withstand the environment and for longer times. "Out There" we face the challenge of some non-zero level of radiation of all kinds, and particles..... dust mostly..... It's a risk we have to prepare for, or take as it comes. At some level it can be beyond our capacity to practically prepare for.
The moon has scarce water and oxygen, even in minerals. Carbonate rock, if once formed during the origins of the moon, are by now oxidesmostly. Hydrates have pretty much given off most of the water. Things we need either need to be there where we can use them, or we need to take them,.
Mars has some atmosphere, mostly CO2? There is little we could do in these places that we cannot do here, except they have lower gravity space station where we can efficiently build and launch stuff.
I've seen some new designs for space capsules. Seems everybody believes a simple titanium can won't really get people out there. Here's some links. Designs with the Van Allen radiation belt in particular.
Van Allen Radiation Belts: Facts & Findings
The Van Allen radiation belts are giant swaths of magnetically trapped, highly energetic charged particles that surround Earth.
Enginursday: Leaving the protection of the Van Allen belt - News - SparkFun Electronics
As the new Orion capsule takes flight, NASA is working to better understand what we did almost 40 years ago with the moon landings. Why have we not ventur
www.sparkfun.com
We have sent stuff to Mars and collected data for years. We've sent stuff off a lot further and collected data for a long time. The Van Allen radiation belt has a shape that enables low-exposure transits and re-entries, but we are also designing capsules that could withstand the environment and for longer times. "Out There" we face the challenge of some non-zero level of radiation of all kinds, and particles..... dust mostly..... It's a risk we have to prepare for, or take as it comes. At some level it can be beyond our capacity to practically prepare for.
The moon has scarce water and oxygen, even in minerals. Carbonate rock, if once formed during the origins of the moon, are by now oxidesmostly. Hydrates have pretty much given off most of the water. Things we need either need to be there where we can use them, or we need to take them,.
Mars has some atmosphere, mostly CO2? There is little we could do in these places that we cannot do here, except they have lower gravity space station where we can efficiently build and launch stuff.
Topic Two: Beryllium
Utah has the leading deposits of Beryllium world wide. Because of an ancient mountain range and lakes on its flanks. Why? The Element is not formed in stars, but in the Van Allen Radiation Belt, or similar zones around other planets. It is extremely toxic, and falls to earth in thankfully very light amounts, then gets sorted or concentrated by erosion and chemical processes in water.
It is absolutely essential to light high strength alloys, long lasting electronic contacts and such.
We will need to learn to synthesize this element via some kind of nuclear reaction, or some kind of LENR extended structure nuclear reaction like "cold fusion". But remember, it's deadly toxic.
Utah has the leading deposits of Beryllium world wide. Because of an ancient mountain range and lakes on its flanks. Why? The Element is not formed in stars, but in the Van Allen Radiation Belt, or similar zones around other planets. It is extremely toxic, and falls to earth in thankfully very light amounts, then gets sorted or concentrated by erosion and chemical processes in water.
It is absolutely essential to light high strength alloys, long lasting electronic contacts and such.
We will need to learn to synthesize this element via some kind of nuclear reaction, or some kind of LENR extended structure nuclear reaction like "cold fusion". But remember, it's deadly toxic.
Topic Three: Nuclear Propulsion
Old time fertliizer and diesel oil rockets have got to be replaced by more energy-efficient/weight efficient propulsion.
Recently, some start-up upstart company is claiming "blue gas" will doom Elon Musk and the Lithium battery.. "Blue gas" is hydrogen gas, one of the most dangerous chemicals we know for flammability. Remember the Hindenberg. So the idea here is the fuel cell, where hydrogen is burned to water in a electrical reaction. I mean, it gives off electric current/potential across the electrodes.
Not a good idea for space. Remember the Van Allen Belt and the various threats of space.
There is a very high energy technology being developed in the area of metal hydrides. I know a little about this. You don't want a nickel hydride fusion reactor in your car. They melt labs, windows, walls and all when something goes wrong..... Very unstable technology doesn't go well with Space.
So it's still nuclear fission, Uranium. Thorium maybe.
But by far, the greatest energy per mass fuel is the cold fusion/deuterium reaction. If we ever get this working, we can forever say goodbye to the combustion engine.
Old time fertliizer and diesel oil rockets have got to be replaced by more energy-efficient/weight efficient propulsion.
Recently, some start-up upstart company is claiming "blue gas" will doom Elon Musk and the Lithium battery.. "Blue gas" is hydrogen gas, one of the most dangerous chemicals we know for flammability. Remember the Hindenberg. So the idea here is the fuel cell, where hydrogen is burned to water in a electrical reaction. I mean, it gives off electric current/potential across the electrodes.
Not a good idea for space. Remember the Van Allen Belt and the various threats of space.
There is a very high energy technology being developed in the area of metal hydrides. I know a little about this. You don't want a nickel hydride fusion reactor in your car. They melt labs, windows, walls and all when something goes wrong..... Very unstable technology doesn't go well with Space.
So it's still nuclear fission, Uranium. Thorium maybe.
But by far, the greatest energy per mass fuel is the cold fusion/deuterium reaction. If we ever get this working, we can forever say goodbye to the combustion engine.