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#26 2004-12-10 16:12:31

GCNRevenger
Member
From: Earth
Registered: 2003-10-14
Posts: 6,056

Re: How far off are we to conquering gravity?

....actually, hydrogen and helium are preferentially lost because they're light. It's the same reason hydrogen is a preferred rocket fuel: its light weight means that it gains more velocity from any given amount of energy than a heavier molecule such as oxygen.

Yes they are, but there is nothing at all special about that.


[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]

[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]

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#27 2004-12-10 18:26:36

Trebuchet
Banned
From: Florida
Registered: 2004-04-26
Posts: 419

Re: How far off are we to conquering gravity?

I'm quite aware of that, you know...

EDIT: Ahh, looking way back reveals why you'd put that apparent non sequitur in there. Errorist mentioned hydrogen and helium ''defying gravity' way back where. I was not, as a look at my post should make abundantly clear. Hydrogen and helium are merely much more likely to be booted into space by a random collision than other gases, because of their light weight (as you and I know and Errorist didn't). Otherwise, a single hydrogen atom which has not achieved escape velocity will come back to earth, same as anything else, in the absence of any other forces working on it.

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#28 2004-12-10 19:02:48

GCNRevenger
Member
From: Earth
Registered: 2003-10-14
Posts: 6,056

Re: How far off are we to conquering gravity?

I know, but it took the better part of a week to get this idea into Errorists' head that there was nothing special or magical about light gasses, and the way which they escape the Earth.


[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]

[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]

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