Posted on 09/28/2005 6:08:41 PM PDT by KevinDavis
NASA engineers and their industry partners have successfully deployed two 400-square-meter solar sails during ground testing. This is a critical milestone in the development of a unique propulsion technology that uses the Sun to propel vehicles through space.
Solar sail propulsion technologies bounce sunlight off giant, reflective sails made of lightweight material 40 to 100 times thinner than a piece of writing paper.
The continuous pressure provides sufficient thrust to perform spacecraft maneuvers, such as hovering at a fixed point in space or rotating the vehicle's position in orbit, which would in some cases require too much propellant for conventional rocket systems to be desirable. Because the Sun provides the necessary propulsive energy, solar sails also require no onboard propellant, thus reducing payload mass.
(Excerpt) Read more at spacedaily.com ...
Some day, if the Global warming folks are right, we could use a large array of such sails for another purpose.. to sheild the earth a bit from the sun..
In a couple of years, nanotubes will be the material to use.
I know, carbon nanotubes make high-grade steel look like tinfoil in strength comparisons.
I agree.....
That is true.. Can you imagine our economy when we have carbon nanotubes factories in this country????
The NASA Plum Brook facility in Sandusky, Ohio, is an amazing place not well known by most people. It's near Cedar Point amusement park (rollercoaster headquarters) about 60 miles west of Cleveland.
That chamber is a 122 foot tall aluminum walled cylinder with 100 foot diameter. I think the doors are 50 feet on a side. They can pump it down to near earth conditions in something like 8 hours. I have been in the thing and it is awesome. Here's their website.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/testfacilities/plumbrook.html
As you will see, they have a number of other unique goodies there.
I should have said low-orbit conditions.
Yes, it will open up whole new areas of design and building that we have only dreamed of doing till now.
Also, about silcon nanotubes, which 50 times smaller than carbon nanotubesm can carry light waves (which is large than the silcon nanotube itself) on them.
Cast off all lines.
Shift colors.
Underway!
I'll probaly get flamed for this, but I think we should be more concerned about develop new technologies rather than "protecting" the old ones (steel for example). There will be a need for steel, but Carbon Nanotubes and other new technologies is the way to go..
Actually the building industries are funding some of the reseach in nanotubes. So relax a little.
True, but I have a feeling some will flame me.. I'm not worried..
Also to reflect more sunlight to Mars and warm things up a bit.
In fact, CN (carbon nanotubes) will contribute to lighter, stronger aircraft and spacecraft..
CN fiber aircraft and spacecraft would not suffer from expansion and contraction due to temperature differences as well...
Lighter payload means less fuel expended to get the same amount of cargo into orbit..
Add that to the research into using EM fields to sheild against radiation, and weight is reduced considerably..
Alternately, here on earth, strong, lightweight shells of CN fibers could become the new home and building construction material..
How about reinforced concrete using CN fiber "rebar" instead of the present iron..
A "porous" rebar, at that, one which allows the concrete to totally "bind" with the reinforcing material, rather than simply surround it...
Such technological advances could have incredible effects on our economy, as well as ecology..
If we can utilize carbon as a source of building and construction material, then carbon emissions become less of an ecological issue..
That is correct. What I'm saying is that we spend a lot of time bellyaching about the jobs in the past. Granted we still need the steel industry for the time being, however, I think we should be pressing for more research into new technologies (like carbon nanotubes) instead of depending on old technologies (like steel).
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