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#451 Re: Not So Free Chat » Fixing Americas car industry » 2024-06-16 13:23:47
The first sentence "problem of lengthy charging times, battery fires, and a grid that isn't ready to charge a minor fraction" means that people rushing to charge have not planned the vehicles use which means they are not using an off grid charging during the day to charge when they are working. Planned charging means that time is not something to think of and that in itself reduces chance of fire as the charge circuits are not causing the over current heat. Since tis an off grid there is no power supply issue from the grid as its not attached.
The second "Copper and Lithium mining shortages" means not using copper or lithium as other materials can be used for each.
The following pressure and change are of the same but moving to different materials is just shifting the issues.
As the heat must come from some sort of mining/pumping plus processing if not from the same free sun energy to make the heat.
I know that you did install solar, but the company did not provide the best it could and caused damage to the panels by not controlling how they were placed into the array.
I have a brother that just did this but on a mountain top as its totally off the grid with a large array for all uses as the road does not always allow passage. Plus, there is no electrical or water or any other utilities to this location
#452 Re: Not So Free Chat » Fixing Americas car industry » 2024-06-15 17:01:05
The system's four Level 2 charging ports are fueled by a 6.2-kilowatt solar array mounted on a dual-axis tracker, as Electrek details. By following the sun's movement throughout the day, the tracker harvests a whopping 40% more solar energy than standard fixed panels. All that extra sunshine means more clean power for EVs.
#453 Re: Not So Free Chat » Climbing out of poverty » 2024-06-15 14:10:11
How Many Solar Panels Does It Take To Power A Tiny Home?
A small house that's one-eighth the size of a big house doesn't necessarily consume one-eighth the energy. Many of the same power-hungry appliances, such as phones, televisions, refrigerators, computers, and internet routers, will be needed. However, tiny homes may only have one of each device and will certainly use less energy overall, saving on heating, air conditioning, and lighting.
To calculate how much energy your tiny home will require, it's best to look at your past energy bills, comparing two bills from the summer and winter months to see what heating and air conditioning costs. Mild months that require less climate control will provide the best estimate for your baseline energy needs.
Another option at this stage is to skip the math altogether. Popular solar panel guides, such as Bluetti and Ecoflow, use the figure of around 22,000 watt-hours per day as an example of the amount of energy you'll need. You can use this estimate to guide your calculation, though it won't be as accurate as adding up your unique consumption yourself.
With the daily average power consumption and solar potential of your tiny house, you can now calculate how many panels you'll need. Most residential solar panels range from 250 to 400 watts per hour, and some high-efficiency models can generate even more. Figure out which size you'll invest in, or pick a wattage to use as an example for now. You can always enter a different number into the formula if you decide on a different solar panel size later.
Next, multiply the wattage of your solar panel by the daily solar potential you got from Step 2. Then, take your daily average power consumption from Step 1 and divide it by that number.
You can enter the numbers into this formula:
(Solar panel model's wattage per hour) x (Daily solar potential of your property in hours, from Step 2) = Daily power generation of one panel.
(Daily power consumption from Step 1) / (Daily power generation of one panel) = Number of solar panels needed.
For example, a 400W panel operating in New Jersey, where the average daily sun exposure is 3.75 hours, will produce 1,500W per day (400Wx3.75h=1,500Wh). So, if your average daily consumption is 22,000W, divide 22,000W by 1,500W. The result is 14.67, which rounds up to 15. Thus, you will need 15 solar panels to produce that energy.Here's the example plugged into the formula:
(400W) x (3.75h) = 1,500W
(22,000W) / (1,500W) = 14.67 ≈ 15
#454 Re: Business Proposals » Sea Level Rise Business Opportunity » 2024-06-15 14:02:52
Residents of coastal Florida are finding themselves stuck as they're faced with leaving their homes vulnerable to increasingly strong hurricanes or granting public beach access that will allow for federal restoration.
What's happening?
Many towns are at risk of damage and flooding because of increasingly severe storms in the Gulf of Mexico, as Grist reported. While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers typically handles restoration for these areas, it cannot haul in thousands of tons of sand to complete these projects unless property owners grant easements to their private slivers of shore. Unfortunately, many people are refusing to allow such access.
#455 Re: Life support systems » Gold Hydrogen, Geologic Hydrogen, Natural Hydrogen, etc. » 2024-06-15 14:00:33
#456 Re: Single Stage To Orbit » SSTO - Mathematical Analysis Gravity vs Stages » 2024-06-15 13:56:00
We are attempting to perform the profile of a 2 stage with just 1 complete to orbit ship.
Here is a place for numbers
https://exoscientist.blogspot.com/2012/ … first.html
The first stage propellant load is given as 553,000 lbs, 250,000 kg, and the dry weight as 30,000 lbs, 13,600 kg.
Characteristic First stage Second stage Payload fairing
Mass (without propellant) 22,200 kg (48,900 lb) 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) 1,700 kg (3,700 lb)
Liquid oxygen tank capacity 287,400 kg (633,600 lb) 75,200 kg (165,800 lb)
Kerosene tank capacity 123,500 kg (272,300 lb) 32,300 kg (71,200 lb)
500 passenger vertical takeoff / horizontal landing SSTO will be posted here.
Gross Liftoff Mass: 2,100,000kg
Propellant Mass: 2,000,000kg
Dry Vehicle Mass: 60,000kg
Payload Mass: 40,000kg
#457 Re: Interplanetary transportation » Space X - another successful mission... » 2024-06-15 13:53:31
Space x Falcon 9 flight path images.
#458 Unmanned probes » Landing on Pluto may only be a hop, skip and jump away » 2024-06-15 13:33:08
- SpaceNut
- Replies: 2
Landing on Pluto may only be a hop, skip and jump away
There are plenty of crazy ideas for missions in the space exploration community. Some are just better funded than others. One of the early pathways to funding the crazy ideas is NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts. In 2017 and again in 2021, it funded a mission study of what most space enthusiasts would consider only a modestly ambitious goal but what those outside the community might consider outlandish—landing on Pluto.
Two major questions stand out in the mission design: How would a probe arriving at Pluto slow down, and what kind of lander would be useful on Pluto itself? The answer to the first is one that is becoming increasingly common on planetary exploration missions: aerobraking.
Pluto has an atmosphere, albeit sparse, as confirmed by the New Horizons mission that whizzed past in 2015. One advantage of the minor planet's relatively weak gravity is that its low-density atmosphere is almost eight times larger than Earth's, providing a much bigger target for a fast incoming aerobraking craft to aim for.
Much of the NIAC Phase I project was focused on the details of that aerobraking system, called the Enveloping Aerodynamic Decelerator (EAD). Combined with a lander, that system makes up the "Entrycraft" that the mission is designed around. Ostensibly, it could alternatively contain an orbiter, and there are plenty of other missions discussing how to insert an orbiter around Pluto. Hence, the main thrust of this paper is to focus on a lander
After aerobraking and slowing down to a few tens of meters a second, from 14 km/s during its interplanetary cruise phase, the mission would drop its lander payload, then rest on the surface, only to rise again under its own power. The answer to the second question of what kind of lander would be useful on Pluto is—a hopper.
Hoppers have become increasingly popular as an exploration tool everywhere, from the moon to asteroids. Some apparent advantages would include visiting a wide array of interesting scientific sites and not having to navigate tricky land-based obstacles. Ingenuity, the helicopter that accompanied Perseverance paved the way for the idea, but in other words, the atmosphere isn't dense enough to support a helicopter. So why not use the current favorite method of almost all spacecraft—rockets?
A hopper would fire its onboard thrusters to reach the area on Pluto's surface and then land elsewhere. It could then do some science at its new locale before taking off and doing so again somewhere else.
The NIAC Phase I Final Report describes five main scientific objectives of the mission, including understanding the surface geomorphology and running some in-situ chemical analysis. A hopper structure would enable those goals much better than a traditional rover at a relatively low weight cost since Pluto's gravity is so weak.
Other objectives of the report include mathematical calculations of the trajectory, including the aerobraking itself and the stress and strain it would have on the materials used in the system. The authors, who primarily work for Global Aerospace Corporation and ILC Dover, two private companies, also updated the atmospheric models of Pluto with new New Horizons data, which they then fed into the aerobraking model they used. Designing the lander/hopper, integrating all the scientific and navigation components, and estimating their weights were also part of Phase I.
The original launch window for the mission was planned as 2029 back in 2018, though now, despite receiving a Phase II NIAC grant in 2021, that launch window seems wildly optimistic.
Since the mission would require a gravity assist from Jupiter, the next potential launch window would be 2042, with a lander finally reaching the surface of Pluto in the 2050s. That later launch window is likely the only feasible one for the mission, so we might have to wait almost 30 years to see if it will come to fruition.
#459 Re: Science, Technology, and Astronomy » Flow Battery » 2024-06-15 12:50:11
The modified electrodes exhibited a substantial improvement in discharge capacity and energy efficiency. After 50 charge/discharge cycles, the new electrode achieved a discharge capacity of 1990.3 mAh, significantly higher than the 1155.8 mAh offered by standard electrodes. Additionally, energy efficiency was maintained at around 82.7%, a considerable increase compared to the baseline.
#460 Re: Human missions » Starship is Go... » 2024-06-13 19:50:29
When you count reuse the price for a launch will go down and does not have much to do with the build of the ship as its just man hours and fuel for each flight.
Ship lose will cause the price to rise as those costs are not considered in the launch use costs.
#461 Re: Single Stage To Orbit » Vertical Launch Assist Technologies for SSTO » 2024-06-13 19:34:19
Not reputable but I see the errs that you speak of in that Altitude is strange.
From the Nasa link that was in the article
Mach 10 – the X-43A research vehicle flew at approximately 7,000 mph at 110,000 feet altitude,
These articles and such are more about the rocket than that of how to start it accelerating by external lift.
#462 Re: Single Stage To Orbit » Vertical Launch Assist Technologies for SSTO » 2024-06-13 17:24:54
I am reminded by the images above as the X-43: NASA Somehow Built A Mach 9.6 Hypersonic Aircraft
It reached speeds of up to Mach 10 and altitudes of 110,000 miles but was discontinued due to lack of funding. By the time of the X-43’s third and final demonstration flight, it boosted itself to a whopping 110,000 miles above the Earth and accelerated to 7,000 miles per hour, or almost Mach 10. The vehicle splashed down 850 miles to the west of southern California, in a US Navy training area, and was not recovered.
https://www.nasa.gov/reference/x-43a/
Of course4 it was not a SSTO
The first two prototypes flew at Mach 7 and the third was designed to fly at Mach 10. These vehicles were powered by gaseous hydrogen.
Launched from a B-52B operated by NASA for research purposes, the first X-43 rocketed from beneath the wing of the larger B-52B and reached about 5,000 miles per hour. After being dropped from the B-52B at 40,000 feet, the X-43 boosted itself to an altitude of 95,000 miles.
#463 Re: Human missions » Boeing Starliner OFT-2 » 2024-06-12 18:03:20
Boeing's Starliner Now Has 5 Leaks While Parked Outside the ISS]
If you’ve been keeping track, there were three leaks on the Starliner spacecraft the last time we checked. Starliner teams had identified two new leaks on the spacecraft after it launched on June 5, in addition to a helium leak that was detected prior to liftoff. The team took some time to assess the issue before launching the capsule, but eventually Boeing and NASA decided to proceed with flying the crew on the leaky Starliner spacecraft without resolving the problem.
The spacecraft consists of a reusable crew capsule and an expendable service module. Helium is used in the spacecraft’s thruster systems to allow the thrusters to fire without being combustible or toxic. “We can handle this particular leak if that leak rate were to grow even up to 100 times,” Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said during a news conference before the Starliner launch.
I am wondering how many second guesses are coming now that they ignored Boeing?
While it’s parked outside the ISS, engineers also are evaluating an RCS oxidizer isolation valve in the service module that’snot properly closed, according to NASA’s recent update. An RCS, or Reaction Control System, uses thrusters for attitude control and steering, while the oxidizer isolation valve regulates the flow of oxidizer, which is essential for burning fuel in the thrusters.Mission managers are continuing to work through the return plan, which includes assessments of flight rationale, fault tolerance, and potential operational mitigations for the remainder of the flight,” the space agency wrote.
Starliner is scheduled to undock from the orbital space station no earlier than June 18. The Crewed Flight Test is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and is meant to transport crew and cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS) under a $4.3 billion contract with the space agency. NASA’s other commercial partner, SpaceX, has so far launched eight crews to the space station.
#464 Re: Life support systems » Iron - the natural fuel for Mars? » 2024-06-12 18:00:38
Seems we can even use the thermite reaction on the moon as well.
Using the moon's soil to support life, energy generation and construction
A research team from the University of Waterloo's Laboratory for Emerging Energy Research (LEER) is looking into processing lunar regolith, the moon's top layer of soil and dust, into usable materials for life support, energy generation and construction. This includes investigating the use of defunct satellite material as a fuel source when mixed with lunar regolith. The International Astronautical Federation has published two papers on the research.
#466 Re: Science, Technology, and Astronomy » Wave Power Associated Systems » 2024-06-12 17:26:16
In a company news release, OPT revealed that it's nearing 15 megawatt-hours of production from its PowerBuoys, which harvest wave energy to supply reliable power to offshore industries, the defense and security sectors, and scientific research endeavors.
#467 Re: Single Stage To Orbit » Vertical Launch Assist Technologies for SSTO » 2024-06-11 17:58:06
Well, a word a day makes you more knowledgeable and the word was "sabot" which I did not really have a clue to.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabot_(firearms)
So we give the rocket a ride and need at minimum 1/2 more to slow the carrier Sabot assembly
One assumes that the last second of the ride the rockets engines must ignite to power the rocket once the end is reached. I am thinking that the rockets plume will push the Sabot away from the rocket if drive power is removed and that will cause it to fall back ready for use once more.
Using the Emal or a linear inductive drive would when power applied give launch control to stop of slow if in the 5 seconds from applying the Sabot it must terminate launch.
Leading wheels would glide against the wall once it opens to keep it from biting into the vertical shaft assist tunnel.
One might also assume that escape tower or the crewed dragon style boost could be part of the abort.
#468 Re: Science, Technology, and Astronomy » Mystery Battery Technology » 2024-06-09 17:55:18
Beyond lithium: New solid state ZnI₂ battery design opens doors for sustainable energy storage
Rechargeable aqueous zinc-iodine batteries get a lot of attention because they are safe, do not cost much, and have a high theoretical capacity. Zinc has a high theoretical capacity (820 mAh g-1) and iodine is found in large amounts in the Earth's crust. However, the limited cycle life of zinc-iodine batteries remains a significant challenge for their market viability.
The thermodynamic instability of the zinc electrode in an aqueous electrolyte always leads to the release of hydrogen, which causes the battery to swell and eventually fail. In addition, in aqueous electrolytes, reversible redox reactions often occur at the iodine cathode, involving triiodide, iodide, and polyiodide (I3-/I-/I5-). The ZnO and Zn(OH)42- passivation layers may further interact with triiodide and exacerbate the adverse effects on the zinc anode. Therefore, mitigating these parasitic side reactions on the zinc surface is essential to achieve a long-life rechargeable ZnI2 battery.
The researchers reported a new class of fluorinated block copolymers as solid electrolytes for the development of all-solid-state ZnI2 batteries with extended lifespan. The results of the study suggest that the zinc metal anode circulating in this solid electrolyte forms a stable fluoride-rich SEI layer, which promotes the deposition of zinc in the horizontal direction and prevents the growth of harmful zinc The thermodynamic instability of the zinc electrode in an aqueous electrolyte always leads to the release of hydrogen, which causes the battery to swell and eventually fail. In addition, in aqueous electrolytes, reversible redox reactions often occur at the iodine cathode, involving triiodide, iodide, and polyiodide (I3-/I-/I5-). The ZnO and Zn(OH)42- passivation layers may further interact with triiodide and exacerbate the adverse effects on the zinc anode. Therefore, mitigating these parasitic side reactions on the zinc surface is essential to achieve a long-life rechargeable ZnI2 battery.
The researchers reported a new class of fluorinated block copolymers as solid electrolytes for the development of all-solid-state ZnI2 batteries with extended lifespan. The results of the study suggest that the zinc metal anode circulating in this solid electrolyte forms a stable fluoride-rich SEI layer, which promotes the deposition of zinc in the horizontal direction and prevents the growth of harmful zinc dendrites that can damage the separator and cause battery failure. that can damage the separator and cause battery failure.
Same issue that Lithium has "dendrites"
#470 Re: Interplanetary transportation » Aldrin Cyclers and Asteroid Belt Cyclers » 2024-06-09 13:43:01
It would be nice, but I think that a Venus to the asteroid belt is a practical. With lots of them so as to have a cross-loop transport capability.
#471 Re: Not So Free Chat » Fixing Americas car industry » 2024-06-09 10:06:25
I saw one of these ugly trucks for the first time in my local area
Man Faces $50,000 Fine for Selling His Tesla Cybertruck That Won’t Fit in His Apartment Parking
Upon realizing that his 18-foot-long and nearly 8-foot-wide vehicle was a poor fit for his parking slot, Raddon reached out to the dealership in hopes of a possible return or solution. However, he was met with a stark reminder of the Tesla Vehicle Order Agreement he had signed.
The agreement explicitly states that if a Cybertruck owner attempts to sell the electric vehicle (EV) within the first year of ownership, they could face a hefty $50,000 fine and a ban from purchasing future Tesla models.
Blaine expressed his frustrations, noting, “Making me keep a truck that does not fit my circumstances appears to be unfair and not at all the spirit of the no sale language in the contract.” This sentiment captures the essence of his predicament, where contractual obligations clash with practical life changes.
Sure makes you wonder when purchasing a vehicle as to what rights you really have...
#472 Re: Unmanned probes » NASA Mars Sample Return Mission » 2024-06-09 09:08:59
Investigating New Methods for Mars Sample Return: NASA’s Approach
NASA seeks to optimize the strategy for ferrying specimens from the Martian surface to Earth. A firm-fixed-price contract, with an aggregate value of $1.5 million for the completion of 90-day studies, has been issued to seven commercial respondents.
The following entities and their proposed studies were shortlisted in response to an April 15 solicitation for proposals:
Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colorado: “Lockheed Martin Rapid Mission Design Studies for Mars Sample Return”
SpaceX in Hawthorne, California: “Enabling Mars Sample Return With Starship”
Aerojet Rocketdyne in Huntsville, Alabama: “A High-Performance Liquid Mars Ascent Vehicle, Using Highly Reliable and Mature Propulsion Technologies, to Improve Program Affordability and Schedule”
Blue Origin in Monrovia, California: “Leveraging Artemis for Mars Sample Return”
Quantum Space, in Rockville, Maryland: “Quantum Anchor Leg Mars Sample Return Study”
Northrop Grumman in Elkton, Maryland: “High TRL MAV Propulsion Trades and Concept Design for MSR Rapid Mission Design”
Whittinghill Aerospace in Camarillo, California: “A Rapid Design Study for the MSR Single Stage Mars Ascent Vehicle”
#473 Re: Single Stage To Orbit » Vertical Launch Assist Technologies for SSTO » 2024-06-09 09:02:45
The use of a fuel to make a means to push the rocket is similar to dropping a stage after use.
The Astronautix site also contains lots of history of the engines that have been used.
#474 Re: Human missions » Starship is Go... » 2024-06-08 08:57:10
Normal engines out during the flight path is expected to be done to save fuel and capability for the unexpected. But not normal is when an engine fails such as the 1 did on the BFR stage. One can only turn on normal off engines when you have extra engines to do so which could be done on the starship during the landing if required.
Seems that based on the heat getting into the wing would call for design changes and other testing flights.
#475 Re: Meta New Mars » Housekeeping » 2024-06-08 08:48:41
Money for the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intuitive_Machines_Nova-C was designed by Intuitive Machines (IM) to deliver small payloads to the surface of the Moon. Withe the seed money coming from Nasa to deliver to the moon but under contract it did do that. With no money coming from outside of the US from what I can tell.
Using the opinion words from some twitter content might not be the best choice and then change or conflating to another failed craft not related also makes for off topic content. Comparing cost to another off topic would also be outside of the scope of the topic.
As an Admin part of my role is to direct Net Etiquette or NewMars forum Rules such as they are from its beginning. Now I am being off topic to give the reminder. I am sure there are more such moderation of content rules and that is why we have as many Admin's and mod's as we do.