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tahanson43206,
In general, if a product is sold in the US and is advertised as meeting certain EPA specifications, then it's actually been tested and is expected to comply with those specifications. Advertising a product as meeting a specification that it didn't meet would open up the company to a myriad of lawsuits. I didn't see the exact specification cited on that website that that product is supposed to meet, so I would write an E-mail and ask about which EPA specification the product is claimed to conform to. I don't know anything about this particular product, but other similar and admittedly more expensive products have been independently tested and found to do what they say they do. It's not terribly difficult or expensive to filter out nearly all bacteria, but products that work reliably typically don't cost $20. Viruses are considerably more difficult to filter out, but there are more costly products that will do it. I wouldn't completely trust any single product to filter or kill the majority of all pathogens that are inevitably present, so a more exhaustively proven product such as the LifeSaver, that cites the exact specification it conforms to in the company's marketing literature, combined with another well-proven pathogen killing product, such as a high power UV lamp, would be your best bet for ensuring that you have clean drinking water that's as pathogen-free and as contaminant-free as portable filtration systems can reasonably make it. Additionally, please note that ground water sources often contain other types of contaminants that are not typically tested for, such as obscure agricultural (chemical compounds from novel pesticides, not fertilizers) or industrial toxins (just because a chemical compound doesn't appear on an EPA list, doesn't mean it can't hurt you).
Unless you absolutely must rely upon in-situ filtered ground water, use the multi-billion dollar infrastructure that the US has devoted to providing clean drinking water and then apply additional filtration technology on top of that if you think it's necessary. Certain locales have elevated levels of toxins or microorganisms present in the filtered / treated tap water. My wife is paranoid about the Uranium in our drinking water here in Houston, so she either drinks filtered tap water or bottled water.
Do your own research here and ask questions of reputable companies selling water filtration and treatment systems:
NSF Standards for Water Treatment Systems
From the NSF link:
Keep in mind that certification to an NSF/ANSI standard or protocol does not mean that a filter, purifier or treatment system will reduce all possible contaminants. It’s important to verify that the filter, purifier or treatment system is certified to the applicable standard for the reduction of the contaminants of most concern to you or your family. Review our step-by-step guide on selecting home water treatment systems for more information.
In our case, the presence of heavy metals in the tap water were of most concern to our family, or more specifically, my wife.
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For kbd512 re #158
Thank you for your detailed and helpful review of the inexpensive "emergency" water filter system.
It seems possible (without delving more deeply) that the product may be worth throwing into the car if an emergency stop is away from the public water supply.
However, your suggestions for further study are (to my way of thinking) worth noting for future review.
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SearchTerm:WaterFilter
SearchTerm:FilterWater
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I have the same mineralization of metals and they plug and clog whole House units so we buy bottled water.
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This might be of interest to kbd512 re carbon fiber developments
From a tech newsletter:
{sec6_editem2_img1_alt}
Lower cost, stronger carbon fibers fabricated with grapheneHigh tensile strength, low density, and other desired mechanical properties make carbon fibers the reinforcing material of choice for lightweight composite applications in aerospace, military, and other sectors. A new method for reducing carbon fiber production costs could open up broader opportunities for its deployment.
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Space X spacesuits...
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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I agree Louis the suit does look pretty cool. When can I take a test flight?
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This little item ought to appeal to kbd512, because of the carbon "nano" connection.
However, the mechanical energy storage concept might appeal to Calliban, who has shared his insights into innovative (ancient) mechanical energy harvesting systems.
This is a new wrinkle on the wind-up clock. I hope this moves from early research to the initial practical application rapidly.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/diamonds-fut … 00853.html
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The diamond article falls under pizeoelectric devices.
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For SpaceNut ... you are welcome to copy and paste the diamond energy storage in another topic. The more places it is posted, the more folks may see it.
Here is an article on implementation of robots in a Danish restaurant. What I am keenly interested in is teleoperation, but I could not tell from the article whether teleoperation is in fact occurring, or just telepresence with some robotic self-operation.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/reopened-dut … 00523.html
It appears that human servers take orders using the robot server as a gateway.
For the sake of employment of billions of humans on Earth, I would most definitely prefer teleoperation over full robotic devices.
The human population could make a policy decision regarding this detail of how automation is implemented in the years ahead.
The expression of the capitalist impulse can be (and in my opinion, MUST be) guided to insure all humans who need an earned income are able to contribute meaningfully to the economy.
Regulation of the implementation of automation to encourage teleoperation would be beneficial on multiple levels.
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I have seen a couple articles for the restaurant robotic servers but they do not mention how they get ordering input to the cook or from the patron which wants to eat.
Aside from that a would be robot would need advance capability to avoid the patron as well as other none moving obstacles along the path from the kitchen to the table awaiting service or to be served. Of course that is to question whether they are being joystick controlled from a distance or from lots of good programing and sensor array processing.
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For SpaceNut re #167
Thanks for picking up on this employment opportunity! If the decision is made to move in the direction of teleoperation instead of full robotic service in restaurants, then there will become available thousands and ultimately millions of employment opportunities.
I found your vision of joystick control quite interesting! The Technology Update a few posts earlier, about gloves with ultrasensitive feedback to human operators, may provide a hint of how remote machine control might evolve!
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This quote from a tech newsletter hints at development of teleoperation, but does not use the term.
Instead, I would like to point out the new term "cobot" which is the first time I've seen it ...
Register for this webinar to learn how manufacturing planners can use simulation of human movement and spatial risk, cobot simulation, and automated process simulation to optimize throughput, safety and cost in work-cell or system assembly cells within electronics manufacturing organizations. Learn more.
SPONSORED BY
[source identification removed]Learn how manufacturing planners can optimize work-cell or system assembly cells using various simulation methods
Discover how simulation technology is utilized by electronics manufacturing organizations to improve throughput, safety and cost
Understand how simulation of cobots and automated processes can optimize operations without affecting production
For SpaceNut ... the solution of the problem of "where the jobs are" is to create opportunities for ordinary citizens to contribute in meaningful ways, even if involvement of humans is not the most efficient way of doing things. Capitalism in its raw, untempered form, does NOT support make-work, but social policy can temper capitalism to provide an abundance of material wealth for every citizen, while at the same time distributing responsibility for production and distribution over the population to be served.
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Which from the equation of funds to spend for the one doing the work versus low wages means no money to spend which means no adding of jobs as the companies need money from purchases to justify add employees...
Now even if the employees wages are enough its the other expenses that keep you from spending as you need any extra to cover those basic needs as they rise in cost to the individual...
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This quote comes from a tech newsletter ... if anyone is interested in follow up with the author let me know ...
Theme: precision 3D printing (SpaceNut: could go in Louis's topic as well)
The machine provides the capacity to evaluate 16 sample perovskite-based solar cells simultaneously and in parallel. Researchers have previously conducted laboratory tests on millimeter-sized samples in indoor conditions in time-consuming protocols that do not address device deterioration over time, the performance impacts of environmental conditions or other real-world parameters. Components for the new automated system were produced using ultra-detailed milling and a 16-micrometer precision 3D printer.
Tests on new designs for next-generation solar cells can now be done in hours instead of days, as the system generates comprehensive measurements in real time. The researchers also claim they now have the capacity to test thousands of solar cells in one day.
To contact the author of this article, email sue.himmelstein
For comparison, Google came up with this:
For digital light processing (DLP) printers, XY resolution is the projected pixel size. Many 3D printer systems use this projected pixel size, or XY resolution as the overall accuracy figure—for example, taking a 75 micron projected pixel size and asserting that the accuracy of the machine is ±75 microns.
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Last edited by tahanson43206 (2020-06-09 09:24:32)
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Language is a technology. In the past couple of days/sols, I came across a new word in English: cobot
This word may have been around for a while, but I had not seen it before, and consider it a significant improvement over "teleoperation equipment".
From Wikipedia via Google:
Cobot
Description
DescriptionCobots, or collaborative robots, are robots intended for direct human robot interaction within a shared space, or where humans and robots are in close proximity. Cobot applications contrast with traditional industrial robot applications in which robots are isolated from human contact. Wikipedia
However, the term, as described above, does not ** quite ** fit what I have in mind, which is a robotic representative of a human operator who is remote from the site of the robot.
If anyone runs across (or comes up with) a snappy word for a remote system that is directed by a human, while providing a constant flow of feedback to the operator, I'd like to know about it. Please keep "waldo" in reserve. It has too much baggage, in my opinion.
The closest we have in practice today (that I know of) is the military drone, which comes pretty darn close. The drone is operated thousands of miles from the operator, using satellite communication while carrying out myriad local duties without supervision.
But "drone" is not as catchy a word as 'cobot'.
Perhaps "cobot" can be simply shanghai'd for teleoperation. That would be a simple solution. That is a time honored practice, in English.
Edit#1: For SpaceNut ... as soon as a suitable concise word for "teleoperation equipment" becomes available (and agreed upon) I'd like to suggest a new high level topic in the Technology Index category.
What I have in mind is (hoping) to inspire members of the forum to imagine how they would use this kind of equipment to carry out various activities remotely:
Examples might be:
Package movement within warehouses
Meat processing activities in meat processing plants
Metal processing activities in metal refining plants
Chemical processing activities in chemical plants
Machine operation in machine shops
Manufacturing operations in a myriad of industries
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Last edited by tahanson43206 (2020-06-09 10:52:47)
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For SpaceNut ... this post could be replicated in several other existing topics ...
The inventor and experimenter planning an electric aircraft described in the article at the link below has already circumnavigated the globe in a solar powered ocean going craft.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/icarus- … 01507.html
Icarus has nothing on Raphaël Domjan—or at least he won't if the Swiss eco-entrepreneur's new solar aircraft soars to the edge of space and the wings don't melt. After taking his solar boat around the world, Domjan created the SolarStratos aircraft to venture into the stratosphere, powered by nothing but sunshine.
A first in aviation history if it succeeds, the SolarStratos project faces huge challenges. To reach 60,000 feet in an unpressurized aircraft—something normally left to stealth jets like the SR-71 spy plane—the solar plane and its pilot will be subjected to temperatures of -70 degrees. Domjan will also have to wear a pressurized spacesuit for the five-hour flight. It will take two hours to reach the stratosphere, 15 minutes floating with the stars and then three hours to descend. At that altitude, Domjan will be able to see the curvature of the planet.
I was curious to see if the proposed aircraft could fly on Mars, and am disapointed to find that it cannot.
https://www.mathscinotes.com/2012/10/ea … e-to-mars/
Analysis
The quickest (and cheapest) way to find the altitudes we want is to go out to NASA's web site and download a table. Using this table, we can look up the altitudes that correspond to pressures of 0.3 millibars and 11.5 millibars. Those altitudes are:
11.5 millibars ⇒ 30.125 km = 98,350 feet
0.3 millibars ⇒ 57.150 km = 187,500 feetCopyright Notice
© Mark Biegert and Math Encounters, 2020. Publication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mark Biegert and Math Encounters with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The Domjan design would (apparently) have to reach 98,350 feet on Earth, and ** stay ** there, in order to just skim the surface of Mars in the deepest depression there.
It is (probably) not impossible, if the weight of the aircraft can be reduced.
And (speaking of reducing the weight) Mars conveniently takes care of over 60% of the weight.
If someone in the forum is aware of a way to estimate the effect of 60% reduction of weight on the flight capability of this aircraft, I'd appreciate your following up with a post.
Can an aircraft able to fly steadily at 60,000 feet on Earth, under 1 G, fly at 98,000 feet if it weighed 60% less?
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At least one member of this forum is engaged in serious space systems design, albeit at a high level at this point.
I keep an eye on the commercial market place, and occasionally something pops into view that seems directly applicable to the Mars project.
The quote below is from a tech newsletter. The source is removed as usual, but if someone would like to know who is working on this, it shouldn't be hard to find out by asking Google:
Introducing **** Space-Rated Active Optical Cable (SAOC®) — built on our proven, high-speed verSI connector platform, SAOC® exemplifies all the benefits of fiber with the ease & reliability of copper. Designed and tested to withstand the rigors of launching and operating in space, SAOC® revolutionizes space communications.
A home built launcher for Mars would need electrical conductors for power and copper is not abundant. Aluminum is acceptable as a substitute, although not necessarily ideal. For communications, however, the abundance of Silicon would imply an advantage for optical fiber.
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Last edited by tahanson43206 (2020-06-10 12:42:46)
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Earth's crust only contains 0.0068% copper. Abundance of copper on Mars will be similar. The trick is to find it.
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tahanson43206,
The primary problem with wings on Mars is that the air density at Mars sea level ranges between the Earth-equivalent of 100,000 to 130,000 feet. Look at the ratio between gravity and atmospheric pressure. The atmospheric pressure and forward velocity will determine the actual lifting force and drag generated as you fly through the air for any given wing design. Sure, Mars' gravitational pull is only 38% of Earth's gravity, but the air pressure at Mars sea level is 11.5 millibars vs Earth's 1,013 millibars. Are you going to be flying or stalling and falling from any greater altitude? That's like 1/88th of Earth's atmospheric pressure, which you only get at Mars sea level, so your wings are going to be truly huge (and therefore heavy) or you're going to be flying really fast when you land. No airliner wings would generate sufficient lift at subsonic speeds to keep the generated lifting force at or above the mass of the airliner at the atmospheric pressure at Mars sea level. So, you either have to have an enormous wing that must be incredibly light and stiff or you have to have quite a bit of velocity to stay airborne at any altitude while staying subsonic, or some combination of both. Mach 1 on Mars is also significantly lower velocity than on Earth.
The U2 was basically a jet-powered glider, but at 70,000+ feet, even with its enormous wings, it was basically 11 mph away from either exceeding the wing's structural integrity and ripping the wings off or stalling / diving / then ripping the wings off. Modern carbon fiber composites are much better than Aluminum when strength / stiffness / mass per unit area of wing are considered, but still not good enough. The Airbus Perlan II glider can actually do what you're talking about, meaning stay aloft at altitudes above 100,000 feet. Perlan II has a pressurized cockpit with just enough room for 2 pilots wearing flight suits. That glider's Vne is 434 mph and I think it can stay aloft at a bit more than half that speed at 100,000 feet. Landing something that delicate faster than the Space Shuttle would be VERY interesting. If it was made from CNT and BNNT, then perhaps it could land at normal airliner landing speeds.
If you break Mach, you'll probably rip the wings off the glider, so the numbers shown in the link below are not mere suggestions for any prospective Mars glider designers:
Airbus paid for the Perlan Project, but Windward Performance fabricated the machine for them:
Windward Performance Perlan II
Perlan II has an 84 foot wingspan and weighs 1,800 pounds. If it was made from CNT and BNNT, it could weigh less than half of that and most likely land about as fast as an airliner does, at Mars sea level. I'd love to see how that thing is packaged behind a heat shield of some kind. Your guess about how well that would work is as good as mine, but the wings would likely have to fold. Still, it would be cool to actually "fly" rather than "fall" to the surface of Mars. I think airliners are pretty much out of the question, though. Airships are doable, but also huge for the payload lifted.
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For kbd512 re #176
thanks for the nice follow up to the post about the solar powered aircraft. I appreciated the link to the Perlan II site, and your summary of its performance. One observation that seems appropriate to mention is that such an aircraft (either of them) would be a low flyer on Mars. That may not be a problem, but it's worth remembering. They'll be flying low and fast, and following valleys the way the old DC-3's used to do.
(th)
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The success of the EML (ElectroMagnet Launch) system on the Gerald R.Ford is of great interest to some members of the forum.
Here is a report on a challenge facing the builders as the Ford continues launching aircraft.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/navy-carrier … 43984.html
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Language is a technology. Computer language is a branch of the category.
The article at the link below reports on development of higher level language in the relatively new field of Quantum Computing.
https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/15/silq- … computers/
The technical difficulty of "uncomputing" is an aspect of Quantum programming of which I was unaware, so I'm glad to know someone (or several in this case) is working on dealing with the problem.
I'd hate to be slowed down by having to perform "uncomputing" between the addition of two integers.
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Speaking of Quantum computing .... here is announcement of Chinese progress in use of Quantum Entanglement to enhance secure communications.
The article is published on several sites. The Google search string is: chinas-quantum-satellite-enables-first
The article makes the point that the communications does not flow through the photon-entangled site. Instead, the encryption KEYS are provided to both parties by the site. So (I gather) the advance here is in providing a secure way to exchange encryption keys. Exchange of keys has always been a point of vulnerability in any secure communications system.
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Improvements in battery performance are the main theme of this post. However, increased demand for Lithium should lead to improved circumstances for Bolivia.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53067009
After describing current mining procedures for lithium, the author says this:
Despite these advantages, the process still takes months, and only recovers about 30% of the available lithium.
Which is where a wannabe Elon Musk-style tycoon with a similarly exotic name comes in.
Teague Egan is working with scientists on what he says is a "nanoparticle" filter that can separate lithium from other salts in solution, and will recover more like 90% of the lithium.
Instead of months, he reckons it could eventually take just a few days.
Mr Egan says his firm EnergyX is already talking to key players about applying the technology on a commercial scale.
If effective it could dramatically cut the cost of lithium - removing one of the biggest bottlenecks to the ramping up of battery production..
The caption under a picture of a desert with a low mountain range in the distance says:
At 10,000 sq km, Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni salt plain holds 50-70% of known global lithium reserves
This situation should lead to an improved financial position for Bolivia.
From Google search for financial prospects of lithium for Bolivia:
Bolivia's Almost Impossible Lithium Dream - Bloombergwww.bloomberg.com › news › features › bolivia-s-alm...
Dec 3, 2018 - Mountains of mineral at the Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia. ... this stands between anyone who dreams of retrieving Bolivia's lithium riches and turning ...Bolivia′s Evo Morales plans lithium mining offensive ... - DWwww.dw.com › bolivias-evo-morales-plans-lithium-min...
Jul 17, 2017 - In a future battery-powered world, lithium may replace oil and emerge as one of the most important commodities on earth. That prospect is ...
Missing: financial | Must include: financialLucky Bolivia and the Future of Lithium in the World Economy ...www.coha.org › lucky-bolivia-and-the-future-of-lithiu...
Feb 19, 2009 - Nevertheless, Bolivia, the poorest country in South America, should not expect the derailment of oil fueled vehicles to deliver an instant economic ...Bolivia's lithium could feed high-tech's growing need for ...www.protocol.com › bolivia-lithium-morales
Feb 16, 2020 - Bolivia has the world's largest known reserves of lithium. Can it ... And — with elections looming this spring — so, too, is the future of Bolivia's lithium. ... "They didn't have the technical financial capacity to engage in this kind of ...Bolivia picks Chinese partner for $2.3 billion lithium projects ...www.reuters.com › article › bolivia-picks-chinese-partn...
Feb 6, 2019 - The Chinese firm will provide initial investment and YLB will pay its share with future lithium production, YLB's executive manager Juan Carlos ...Exclusive: Bolivia's new lithium tsar says country should go it ...www.reuters.com › article › us-bolivia-lithium-exclusive
Jan 15, 2020 - The new chief of Bolivia's state-owned lithium company YLB plans ... “We don't see in the near future any possibility to reinstate that kind of ...
Edit#1: The article from January 15, 2020, provides an insight into the thinking of a new Bolivian leader.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-boli … SKBN1ZE2DW
There are several reasons NewMars members might be interested in developments in lithium procurement, in Bolivia or elsewhere.
The race for technology to operate at the nanoscale to separate elements from each other after millions or in some cases billions of years of very close bonding is directly applicable to the Mars project. However, that ability would be useful on Earth in a wide variety of ways.
Just one example is the separation of components of a mixture, such as a muddy river. At present methods of separating water from the muck suspended in it are available, but they are not (to the best of my knowledge) capable (for example) of clearing non-water molecules from the mouth of a river before it enters a lake or the ocean.
Over hundreds of years (and in some cases thousands of years) humans have learned how to apply a series of physical and chemical processes to separate elements from each other. The holy grail of element separation is direct separation at the atomic (nano) scale, and that appears to be what the gent mentioned in the article about Bolivian lithium is hoping to achieve.
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Last edited by tahanson43206 (2020-06-17 09:19:07)
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For kbd512 re Post# 176
I've been thinking about your notes and observations in this post, and am ready to offer a suggestion. If I'm lucky and have prepared correctly, the forum may be treated to another of your informative, authoritative and thought provoking essays.
http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php … 59#p168959
tahanson43206,
The primary problem with wings on Mars is that the air density at Mars sea level ranges between the Earth-equivalent of 100,000 to 130,000 feet. Look at the ratio between gravity and atmospheric pressure. The atmospheric pressure and forward velocity will determine the actual lifting force and drag generated as you fly through the air for any given wing design. Sure, Mars' gravitational pull is only 38% of Earth's gravity, but the air pressure at Mars sea level is 11.5 millibars vs Earth's 1,013 millibars. Are you going to be flying or stalling and falling from any greater altitude? That's like 1/88th of Earth's atmospheric pressure, which you only get at Mars sea level, so your wings are going to be truly huge (and therefore heavy) or you're going to be flying really fast when you land. No airliner wings would generate sufficient lift at subsonic speeds to keep the generated lifting force at or above the mass of the airliner at the atmospheric pressure at Mars sea level. So, you either have to have an enormous wing that must be incredibly light and stiff or you have to have quite a bit of velocity to stay airborne at any altitude while staying subsonic, or some combination of both. Mach 1 on Mars is also significantly lower velocity than on Earth.
So here is my suggestion for a Mars flying vehicle, building on your post and on work done in the balloon topics by numerous contributors.
Can you imagine designing a large wing which supports its own weight with the buoyancy of Hydrogen?
In a recent post (I think in the 3D Printer topic) research was reported that indicates it is possible to create little (ie, tiny nanoscale) girders of Carbon that are stronger collectively than diamond, which is already known to be one of the strongest electrostatic bonds demonstrated by nature.
These little girders can be imagined as the compression members of a 3 dimensional wing design, although in the application of holding an inflated wing together, they would be doing tension duty in some parts of the structure.
But solutions of the design problem may not require development of new technology. In another topic (Phobos tether) it is shown that Kevlar #92 thread is able to hold a tension in excess of 13 kg, so as many of those threads as might be needed to sustain the tension caused by internal pressure on the wing fabric could be string to the lightweight wing beams.
The mass of the wing would then consist of whatever is chosen for the spar, whatever fabric is chosen to hold hydrogen against near vacuum, and the tension members assigned the duty of holding the shape of the wing.
Even a wing that weighed "nothing" would still require a substantial velocity to obtain lift in the Mars atmosphere.
It would be my guess that calculators exist to help engineers with wing design, so it is possible the scenario described here could be explored by those who may have access to them and the expertise to use them effectively.
Edit#2 ... this post is about designs already in development by JP Aerospace (John Powell) for his balloon to orbit concept. And Powell is planning (and actually working) to work at the altitudes on Earth which are comparable to "sealevel" on Mars.
However, I'm hoping your analysis will reveal the possibility of a more robust design for Mars than (I get the impression) Powell is designing for Earth.
(th)
Last edited by tahanson43206 (2020-06-17 09:44:37)
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