Forgive my naivety.In the novel Sundiver (David Brin), they dumped excess heat by converting to electricity,
Forgive my naivety.In the novel Sundiver (David Brin), they dumped excess heat by converting to electricity, and using that to power a laser that they simply shone in to space. Is that even theoretically possible?
Quote from: JamesH on 02/21/2016 06:50 pmForgive my naivety.In the novel Sundiver (David Brin), they dumped excess heat by converting to electricity, and using that to power a laser that they simply shone in to space. Is that even theoretically possible?NoThe classic version of this is the Theremo Electric Modules used in RTGs to turn the decay heat from Plutonium directly into electricity. You're looking at about 8% efficiency. So you need a smaller radiator, but you still need a pretty big one.
Here's another quick grab of improvements to my passenger model. The biggest change is the diameter which is now 10.1 meters, the same as the Saturn V first stage. With this diameter, each deck holds 24 sleep stations and 24 seats (fold-away). That means only 4 decks for 96 passengers. The deck features an airlock door. Being a work in progress, still got fill out the sleep stations and put in a fold-away ladder for up and down on surface access.Kaoru
The 100-person MCT will only be operational much later in the 21st century.
By then, Mars will have landing pads and domes / underground tunnels / modules/ whatever to handle an influx of colonists. Many of the initial colonists will earn their money by continually building colony habitats for the newcomers.
Now of course if you want to design for an artificial gravity environment during the trip, then that's going to change things and naval designs may be the better option (ie your current layout).
Quote from: Lampyridae on 02/22/2016 07:44 amThe 100-person MCT will only be operational much later in the 21st century. And you know this how exactly? Musk seems quite clear on getting this up and running fairly soon.Quote
Just because we COULD do AG doesn't mean we SHOULD. If your trip is short, you don't need it and probably shouldn't use it.
Unless you are designing for extended surface operations, you don't need the under-bed drawers, and you don't need the "dressing space" between the beds and the door. Designing for zero-g allows you to cheat by using a lot less space than normal. People don't stretch out in bed in zero gee - they float in foetal position, meaning your sleeping compartments are that much smaller. They can also go anywhere - wall, floor, ceiling. Lockers too can go anywhere. You don't need "floor" space where you can have a dual usage area - vertical corridors don't need landings, etc. Since your walls are all just partitions, you can just take them down and stow them for atmospheric entry and landing.The 100-person MCT will only be operational much later in the 21st century. By then, Mars will have landing pads and domes / underground tunnels / modules/ whatever to handle an influx of colonists. Many of the initial colonists will earn their money by continually building colony habitats for the newcomers.Now of course if you want to design for an artificial gravity environment during the trip, then that's going to change things and naval designs may be the better option (ie your current layout).
Quote from: Robotbeat on 02/22/2016 03:04 pmJust because we COULD do AG doesn't mean we SHOULD. If your trip is short, you don't need it and probably shouldn't use it.Most people would not consider 3-4 months a short trip.However the practical work on AG is so limited it would absurd to bet your plans on it working. If space exploration were done logically it's a technique that would have been tried decades ago and its benefits and problems already found. Yet in 2016 it still has had no full scale test.
Zero-g certainly allows a much more compact ship than would otherwise be the case.