Author Topic: Technologies that will shape the future of aviation and space exploration  (Read 61677 times)

Offline Stormbringer

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https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23431264-500-plasma-jet-engines-that-could-take-you-from-the-ground-to-space/

ground to orbit plasma engine. A few enabling techs need to some work; but the engine works at appropriate thrust levels even at one atmosphere of ambient air pressure to be able to do it already.
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Offline Stormbringer

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When antigravity is outlawed only outlaws will have antigravity.

Offline CameronD

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Who needs LCARS displays?  My star cruiser will use these:

https://themerkle.com/scientists-create-a-nano-hologram-visible-to-the-naked-eye/

That article tells you nothing and the picture is misleading.  This is really what the research is about:

Quote
Consumer devices could one day generate holograms

https://www.nature.com/articles/n-12310766

It's still pretty cool (and developed here in my home town).. but is a long way from what you might think it is.
« Last Edit: 05/26/2017 12:54 am by CameronD »
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine - however, this is not necessarily a good idea. It is hard to be sure where they are
going to land, and it could be dangerous sitting under them as they fly overhead.

Offline Ithirahad

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https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23431264-500-plasma-jet-engines-that-could-take-you-from-the-ground-to-space/

ground to orbit plasma engine. A few enabling techs need to some work; but the engine works at appropriate thrust levels even at one atmosphere of ambient air pressure to be able to do it already.

"A few enabling techs" basically sums up to "light-weight, high-volume energy generation and storage", if I'm not mistaken. Which seems to be the same problem we have with all these other awesome engines. Very frustrating.

https://www.nature.com/articles/n-12310766

It's still pretty cool (and developed here in my home town).. but is a long way from what you might think it is.

If they mean the 'inward' variant of holograms, then it may not be Star Wars, but it's definitely good enough for a real Star Trek viewscreen... Well, maybe. What's the theoretical depth limit?

Offline whitelancer64


"A few enabling techs" basically sums up to "light-weight, high-volume energy generation and storage", if I'm not mistaken. Which seems to be the same problem we have with all these other awesome engines. Very frustrating.


My kingdom for a battery with the energy density of gasoline...

heck, I'd take a battery with the energy density of sugar.
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Offline Robotbeat

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Lithium-air does. But it needs oxygen (or carbon dioxide, interestingly...).
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. US law http://goo.gl/YZYNt0

Offline Stormbringer

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Offline Stormbringer

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Bigeblow ...up balloon corporation's in space testing on ISS survived several detected/suspected micro-meteoroid hits in its first year and the remaining testing is about internal radiation dose levels. Thus far levels are comparable to other modules on the ISS or projected crew cabins for planned manned capsules.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/First_Year_of_BEAM_Demo_Offers_Valuable_Data_on_Expandable_Habitats_999.html
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Offline Stormbringer

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"A few enabling techs" basically sums up to "light-weight, high-volume energy generation and storage", if I'm not mistaken. Which seems to be the same problem we have with all these other awesome engines. Very frustrating.


My kingdom for a battery with the energy density of gasoline...

heck, I'd take a battery with the energy density of sugar.

My electric hedge trimmer has a lithium ion battery that has over 2 times the voltage of the biggest heavy truck battery i ever saw (which was 24 volts.)  The trimmer battery is smaller than a lawn tractor battery or motorcycle battery but produces 56 volts. That is nearly 4.5 times the voltage in a typical car battery. By now that trimmer battery technology is not even state of the art because it is at least a few years old.

I know the difference is probably crank amps or watt hours. The trimmer can go for nearly forever between recharge cycles. A whole afternoon's work with it and it can hold a charge for about a year in my experience last year end of season to this years beginning of season. I did a little work this year before deciding to recharge it not because it ran out -but it felt a little weak so i recharged it. Probably subjective because these are designed to run at full power until depleted rather than gradually stopping.
« Last Edit: 06/02/2017 08:43 pm by Stormbringer »
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Offline Robotbeat

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Volts don't really tell you much, just how many cells are used. Can get arbitrarily high voltage by using a bunch of teeny tiny cells in series. It's watt-hours we care about.
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. US law http://goo.gl/YZYNt0

Offline Stormbringer

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Volts don't really tell you much, just how many cells are used. Can get arbitrarily high voltage by using a bunch of teeny tiny cells in series. It's watt-hours we care about.
even there, -watt hours for a given form factor of even standard (automotive) batteries have increased from 50 to over 100 percent over the last few years unless i am mistaken?
« Last Edit: 06/03/2017 08:12 pm by Stormbringer »
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Offline john smith 19

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heck, I'd take a battery with the energy density of sugar.
Now a fuel cell that could run on a sugar solution with anywhere near close to the efficiency of a modern Lithium battery would be a huge game changer.

Sadly there would probably a lot more flies hanging round the filling stations.  :(
[EDIT Although I think that's a problem people would be prepared to live with for a fuel supply you can make essentially by growing a plant, crushing it up with water and straining the juice.  :) ]
« Last Edit: 06/05/2017 06:40 am by john smith 19 »
MCT ITS BFR SS. The worlds first Methane fueled FFSC engined CFRP SS structure A380 sized aerospaceplane tail sitter capable of Earth & Mars atmospheric flight.First flight to Mars by end of 2022 TBC. T&C apply. Trust nothing. Run your own #s "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof" R. Simberg."Competitve" means cheaper ¬cheap SCramjet proposed 1956. First +ve thrust 2004. US R&D spend to date > $10Bn. #deployed designs. Zero.

Offline Stormbringer

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hmmmm. maybe this is the hull plating for mah star cruiser?

https://phys.org/news/2017-06-carbon-harder-diamond-flexible-rubber.html

bendy and stretchy as rubber but harder than diamond?
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Offline sanman

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hmmmm. maybe this is the hull plating for mah star cruiser?

https://phys.org/news/2017-06-carbon-harder-diamond-flexible-rubber.html

bendy and stretchy as rubber but harder than diamond?

Hardness is good against abrasion, but not as useful as structural strength.

Offline Stormbringer

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hmmmm. maybe this is the hull plating for mah star cruiser?

https://phys.org/news/2017-06-carbon-harder-diamond-flexible-rubber.html

bendy and stretchy as rubber but harder than diamond?

Hardness is good against abrasion, but not as useful as structural strength.

Maybe, but who says the hull has to have just one material? have some of this layered with kevlar bladders of advanced formula shear thickening fluid armor, pressurized vacuum hardening hole patching goop, glassified steel, tungsten or titanium, heavily hydrogenated polymers and water bladders... It could be as simple as this layered with titanium or glass steel with multiple alternating layers with some velocity tuned spaces interspersed in between the layers to use the wiffel shielding effect as an additional layer of protection.
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Offline sanman

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But if you want abrasion resistance - then what abrasives are you protecting against, and where do you expect to encounter them?
« Last Edit: 06/28/2017 07:40 am by sanman »

Offline Stormbringer

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Generally- flour particle sized or below rocky or metallic grains with a incident rate of one impact per square meter of frontal cross section per day. Possible sand grain sized and (barely possible) larger than sand grain sized at a much reduced frequency. However, in the event of even larger impactors, the shielding should be capable or reducing or eliminating penetration to the habitable portions of the ship or the vitals of an unmanned probe.

A probe or ship that must spend years or centuries at relativistic speeds will encounter thousands and thousands of particles of grit. Rather like being sand blasted or being caressed by a power grinder.

Anywhere in the local bubble within ten or 20 light years or so. (Outer Spaaaaaaaaaaaace)
« Last Edit: 06/28/2017 09:41 am by Stormbringer »
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Offline KelvinZero

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"A few enabling techs" basically sums up to "light-weight, high-volume energy generation and storage", if I'm not mistaken. Which seems to be the same problem we have with all these other awesome engines. Very frustrating.
They also mentioned beamed power as an option. For a while that was my favourite concept for a spaceship that can land and take off at will the way every spaceship does in SciFi: The heavy part stays in orbit.

For a while I was put off by the fact it would also be a weapon, but nuclear missiles can already reach more of the planet with more damage and less investment, so maybe it is not worth the worry.

Offline envy887

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Generally- flour particle sized or below rocky or metallic grains with a incident rate of one impact per square meter of frontal cross section per day. Possible sand grain sized and (barely possible) larger than sand grain sized at a much reduced frequency. However, in the event of even larger impactors, the shielding should be capable or reducing or eliminating penetration to the habitable portions of the ship or the vitals of an unmanned probe.

A probe or ship that must spend years or centuries at relativistic speeds will encounter thousands and thousands of particles of grit. Rather like being sand blasted or being caressed by a power grinder.

Anywhere in the local bubble within ten or 20 light years or so. (Outer Spaaaaaaaaaaaace)

The energies involved in orbital velocity collisions are several orders of magnitude higher than sandblasting or grinding. Not sure that hardness is really what you want.

Offline Stormbringer

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Generally- flour particle sized or below rocky or metallic grains with a incident rate of one impact per square meter of frontal cross section per day. Possible sand grain sized and (barely possible) larger than sand grain sized at a much reduced frequency. However, in the event of even larger impactors, the shielding should be capable or reducing or eliminating penetration to the habitable portions of the ship or the vitals of an unmanned probe.

A probe or ship that must spend years or centuries at relativistic speeds will encounter thousands and thousands of particles of grit. Rather like being sand blasted or being caressed by a power grinder.

Anywhere in the local bubble within ten or 20 light years or so. (Outer Spaaaaaaaaaaaace)

The energies involved in orbital velocity collisions are several orders of magnitude higher than sandblasting or grinding. Not sure that hardness is really what you want.
i was not referring to orbital velocity collisions which are bad enough. one grain penetrated 20 cm into a structural bit of the ISS. i was talking interstellar velocities which are hugely worse. and the sand blasting analogy was merely to point out that with the days adding up even ten hits per day would add up 10 or 100s of thousands of dust mote sized impacts over the total trip time each with the tunneling power of an AP rifle round or above. if animated and sped up those impacts would resemble being sand blasted. and whether accompanied with fancy graphics or not the ship that finished the journey would be pocked with a multitude of pits gashes and tunnels.

this is counting on the statistics to prevent impacts by anything peas sized or larger.

if such high velocity trips are ever undertaken a multi-system set of protections and precautions will be needed to make the journey survivable.

Hull materials themselves plus their arrangement and relation to each other will need to be modeled designed optimized. the materials themselves will have to be engineered. more than one protective measure will be needed to compliment the technology in the hulls. things like capture by molten metal droplet radiator streams, electrical, magnetic and plasma shielding. laser target acquisition and kinetic defense. AI controlled auto evasive maneuver without killing everybody and breaking everything on board.
« Last Edit: 06/29/2017 09:21 pm by Stormbringer »
When antigravity is outlawed only outlaws will have antigravity.

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