Technology Updates

SpaceNut · 2020-11-16 17:24:15

Network connections on the Large ship would be best with fiber optic cable as distance is a limiting factor for copper wire.

tahanson43206 · 2020-11-16 18:18:55

For SpaceNut re #308

Another reason to consider fiber may be reduced susceptibility to radiation.

The NASA engineers who've been running computers in probes for many decades should be able to provide advice regarding signal communications within space craft. One concern I would have (in the absence of a communications engineer in the forum membership) is whether fiber is practical for short runs, such as within a building on Earth. There is overhead in translation from optical signals to electronic ones needed by computing devices.

In any case, the update posted above was about ** reduction ** of the number of connectors for Ethernet. Where you ** are ** planning to use Ethernet, it would (presumably) be advantageous to reduce the number of vulnerable connection points from four to two.

I'd like to suggested adding "Communications Engineer" to the list of people we'd like to recruit to join the forum, now that the inflow of spam ID's has been cut off. While the forum was unregulated, the feedback I've received is along the lines that no one would risk professional reputation. While there are no guarantees, it ** is ** conceivable that the forum may become attractive to professionals over time.

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SpaceNut · 2020-11-17 19:37:30

There is quite a bit of information that tells the story onboard the ISS for how communications along its entire length is effected by all sorts of emi noise as well as from outside sources that can damage the electronics quite easily
https://nepp.nasa.gov/docuploads/F72F24 … cabass.pdf

https://www.cablinginstall.com/design-i … ce-station

https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-nasa- … e-station/

https://snebulos.mit.edu/projects/refer … 0423RH.pdf

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Cat5_vs_Cat5e

tahanson43206 · 2020-11-17 21:21:44

For SpaceNut re fiber cable practicality ...

Thanks for the link to the cable article in #310 above:

This is a discussion of issues relating to choices: https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resou … c-internet

The section about the Google experiment in Louisville is interesting. I was aware of the attempt, but not of the reasons for the failure.

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tahanson43206 · 2020-11-18 09:27:12

Here is another report of advances in connector technology ... It seems to me well worth considering for docking activities in the Large Ship environment. Wireless communication is good, but direct communication by physical means is better. For one thing, there is no need to transmit to the outside Universe, if unwelcome visitors may be present, or if a competitive environment should arise, which would be quite normal, taking human nature into account. For another, a direct communication link between a vessel such as the large ship, and a roving vessel such as a lander can provide a greater data rate. Perhaps even more importantly, power can flow from one vessel to the other, and in the case of a lander, I would expect it would need replenishing after a flight from Mars' surface.

MAGNETIC CONNECTORS: THE LATEST IN HYBRID CONNECTIVITY FOR E-MOBILITY APPLICATIONS
Magnetic hybrid connectors provide the same electrical and signal functional capabilities as traditional connectors in a single robust, self-aligning, zero-force, self-mating interface to address the needs of various e-mobility applications.

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tahanson43206 · 2020-11-18 10:15:27

This update comes from an engineering newsletter ... The liquid filling between panes of glass caught my eye as helpful for radiation absorption in a space vehicle or perhaps in a Mars surface habitat. The energy management capability reported for this design would also help to regulate temperature swings in space or on Mars.

A proprietary hydrogel, water and a stabilizing compound are sandwiched between two panes of glass in a structure that can effectively reduce energy consumption in a variety of climates, due to its ability to respond to a change in temperature. The liquid mixture turns opaque when exposed to heat, thus blocking sunlight, and A composite photo shows the window in the before (cool) and after (hot) state. Source: Nanyang Technological University
A composite photo shows the window in the before (cool) and after (hot) state. [Source: Nanyang Technological University]
returns to its original clear state as it cools. The high heat capacity of water allows a large amount of thermal energy to be stored instead of transferred through the glass and into the building during hot daytime conditions. The stored thermal energy is released at night into the building’s interior, reducing demands on the heating system.
Outdoor proof of concept tests conducted in the hot climate of Singapore demonstrated that the new window system had a lower temperature of 50° C during the hottest time of the day compared to the 84° C recorded for a conventional glass window. Similar trials performed in the colder environment of Beijing, China, showed that a room equipped with the smart liquid window consumed 11% less energy to maintain the same temperature compared to a room with a normal glass window.
Soundproof tests also suggested that the smart liquid window reduces noise 15% more effectively than double-glazed windows.

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tahanson43206 · 2020-11-18 22:54:33

The article at the link below reports on a proposal to put a liquid (rotating) telescope on the Moon.

The proposal comes from Texas, and since there a couple of Texans in the forum membership, I thought this idea might be of interest.

The idea is not new (by a long shot) and there is a working liquid telescope on Earth (the article hints there may be more than one).

The new wrinkle is the nature of the liquid to be set into a rotating tray, and the technique to increase reflectivity to a useful level.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/texa … 00794.html

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SpaceNut · 2020-11-19 19:51:30

The moon does have quakes so a fluid would have distortion waves with in it as they occur.

tahanson43206 · 2020-11-20 09:08:44

The Kickstarter web site at the link below describes a microscope lens for a smart phone. This is the latest in a series of Kickstarter projects by this group.

For the Mars project, advances like this will surely be highly desirable due to the dramatic reduction in mass required to achieve 800x views of objects on Mars.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/12 … -3Kh4GV91Q

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tahanson43206 · 2020-11-23 13:13:21

This is for SpaceNut ... hoping others are interested as well ...

In a recent post, SpaceNut suggested using fiber optic cable for communications in RobertDyck's Large Ship ...

I was a bit skeptical, only because of hints I have found in general reading that trying to run fiber inside a building (or a vehicle in this case) is more challenging than tried and true copper wire.

Here is an excerpt from a tech newsletter that seems to indicate there may be some progress in this field:

Ultra-high resolution fiber optic test for field diagnostics
This white paper describes how new technologies are enabling advanced diagnostics and troubleshooting of short-range fiber optic networks deployed in the field.

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tahanson43206 · 2020-11-24 11:24:23

Two prominent members of this forum hail from Texas.

The article at the link below reports on research that seems to show that water absorbing material can be added to soil to improve water retention.

https://insights.globalspec.com/article … irrigation

A novel approach to irrigation developed at the University of Texas Austin could bolster the sustainability of agricultural systems confronted with water supply deficits.
Water for irrigation can be harvested from the atmosphere by use of super moisture absorbent gels (SMAG) incorporated into soil. Hydrophilic hydrogels combined with natural sandy soil absorb atmospheric moisture during cool, nighttime periods and release water to soil under solar heat. One gram of SMAG-amended soil can capture about 3 to 4 g of water, and for certain types of crops 0.1 to 1 kg (0.2 to 2.2 lb) of the material can effectively irrigate about 1 m2 of farmland.
The amended soil was observed to retain about 40% of its initial water content during a four-week rooftop test. Only about 20% of the initial water content remained in a control sandy soil. Radishes planted in the SMAG-soil survived for 14 days after being irrigated once at the start of the trial. Plants in the control sandy soil were irrigated during the first four days of the test period but none survived more than two days without additional water input.
In addition to expanding the areal range of sustainable agriculture, the atmospheric water irrigation technology might be used to provide potable water supplies in arid regions or be applied to solar panel and data center cooling.

Mars would seem to be a location where this discovery might come in handy.

Edit#1: The closing line of the quote above hints at SpaceNut's "Portable Potable Water" system.

I'm wondering if a quantity of this material can absorb moisture from the air, and then release it ** without ** contaminants for human consumption.

In a situation where there is contaminated water, such as a polluted pond or stream, there would be moisture floating above the surface, released by sunlight or by movement of the water, so a moisture absorbing material might be able to collect free floating molecules of water. The trick would be releasing the collected water efficiently, without allowing contamination to exit with the water. Neat, if it is possible.

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SpaceNut · 2020-11-24 13:40:59

The mars cart topic wandered into the collection of moisture from the air and of co2 with the use of absorbents.

Seems this enters into another mobile system for manned use.

tahanson43206 · 2020-11-29 18:02:19

In another topic, kbd512 has been discussing potential capabilities for artificial intelligence to expedite design of space vehicles.

Here is a quote from an article about use of a form of artificial intelligence to study human behavior ...

An AI tool can distinguish between a conspiracy theory and a true conspiracy – it comes down to how easily the story falls apart
Posted by | Nov 13, 2020 | Science and Technology | 0

As nearly as I can tell, this tool is ** not ** thinking independently. It does appear to be amplifying human intelligence, by processing large quantities of data to try to highlight patterns.

The ** real ** intelligence remains solidly in human heads, for the moment.

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tahanson43206 · 2020-11-30 10:10:52

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/scot … 51696.html

Scottish homes will use 100-percent green hydrogen in world first

I was glad to see this report of a trial in 300 homes for four years.

It seems to me this is a much more practical way of heating homes on Mars than traditional methane would be.

The efficiency of production of hydrogen from Martian water would be superior to the net efficiency of trying to make methane.

The output of the consumption of hydrogen in Martian homes would be water vaper, which would be desirable in any case.

Wind power is not in the cards for Mars, but nuclear and PV power seem like reasonable options.

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tahanson43206 · 2020-12-02 18:37:36

This little item is a teaser for a paper on use of AI to help to improve performance of robot arms ...

Case study: Industrial Servers Ramp Up AI for Robotic Arms
<company name>
AI in smart manufacturing is leading to breakthroughs for many use cases. AI-enabled industrial servers with GPUs handling inference and training workloads will ramp up AI for robotic arms.

Much more progress is needed before a first world culture can live comfortably on Mars. It appears that there is some forward movement on Earth, driven by the cooperative/competitive system we've put in place here.

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tahanson43206 · 2020-12-09 19:08:42

There are several Internet communications programs available for meetings.

I just came out of one set up using "Gather" .... Previously I've tried Skype, Zoom and a gamer platform whose name I've forgotten already.

The Gather session was ** very ** nice ... it has a number of features that would make it useful for large meetings, including a huge conference room where the person at the lectern can be heard by everyone, but everyone in the audience is muted.

There are meeting rooms where icons can gather for private meetings.

In the open areas between meeting rooms, icons can move close to each other, and the audio and visual connections start working.

This is quite impressive!

One hiccup occurred when a person showed up to attend but their audio and video were muted. They were able to communicate by the chat. Via chat, they informed the rest of us that they had disabled audio and video on their computer.

That would certainly explain their icon not having audio or video.

Apparently anyone can set up a Gather session, and invite others to attend.

There is another feature that I tried but am not sure about ... you can start a Zoom session from within Gather ... The Zoom session started and I found myself looking at what appeared to be someone else's Zoom session.

I closed that and (thankfully) was returned to Gather, where we carried on for a bit longer.

One member tried the share screen mode (similar to Zoom), and showed us a nice remote control holiday lighting screen that can be caused to change colors from a cell phone control app.

All in all, I think this app is worth looking at, if you are setting up an Internet meeting.

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tahanson43206 · 2020-12-31 13:30:58

For SpaceNut ... I searched topics for sps and found nothing.

I then searched for solar and power and satellites and found nothing ... You may have better luck ...

In the mean time, here is a link to an article about US Air Force plans to test tactical solar power soon ...

https://currently.att.yahoo.com/finance … 00029.html

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SpaceNut · 2020-12-31 13:40:08

Ah beamed orbital power is an issue if the beam is narrow for the earth target and it misses and gets others is bad...

Here are three that pertain
Microwave Sattelites - Sending solar energy to from orbits.
Louis' Solar Power Strategy
Solar Power Satellites to Power Human to Mars Mission

Mars does not have tis problem as there is going to be limited people to get in the beams path.

here is another first New battery chemistry results in first rechargeable zinc-air battery

As the article goes on to tell is zinc is very abundant and cheap....

tahanson43206 · 2020-12-31 14:37:13

For SpaceNut re #336

Thanks for the hint! I would have caught Tom Kalbus' topic if I'd included an * after satellites!

However, the post I offered here does not really fit any of the scenarios of the previous topics, except indirectly.

Success on Earth could lead to success on Mars as well.

The US Air Force is (apparently) among the global leaders exploring how to deliver reliable power from orbit to ground stations.

There was a Space Show recently devoted to the topic. That is reported in the Other Space Advocacy Organizations topic.

The speaker was Dr. Jim Vedda and an associate who've published a paper on the subject, with history and updates to the present time. Apparently Japan is taking a leadership position because of their dependency on outside sources for domestic power, following the spectacular failure of their domestic nuclear power program.

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SpaceNut · 2020-12-31 19:02:43

tahanson43206, The solar on orbit is collected and beamed by the rf bands to earth stations in the first link. The earth's atmosphere attenuated most of the rf bands due to moisture in the air. The antennas collection devices are usually an array spread over a large surface area.

tahanson43206 · 2020-12-31 19:42:30

For SpaceNut re #338

Your post here is interesting, because it propagates an effect of heavy rain as though it were generally the case for atmospheric conditions at the the proposed RF frequency of 2.45 GHz.

Can you find your source? I have never heard of such a concern, and I've read everything I could find about SPS since it was first proposed many decades ago.

You are certainly right that at the frequency of concern, heavy rain can attenuate the signal, but if you are not trying to send power into the Amazon Rain Forest, the amount of time your rectenna sees reduced signal strength is pretty small.

I'd appreciate your finding your resource for the post ... I ** do ** note that your wording covers "most of the rf bands". But the frequencies for power satellites were chosen long ago to be least affected by moisture in the air.

Here is what I was able to find in a quick search this evening:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space-based_solar_power

Microwave optic requires GW scale due to Airy disk beam spreading. Typically a 1 km transmitting disk at 2.45 GHz spreads out to 10 km at Earth distance.
and ...
Earth-based receiver
The Earth-based rectenna would likely consist of many short dipole antennas connected via diodes. Microwave broadcasts from the satellite would be received in the dipoles with about 85% efficiency.[61] With a conventional microwave antenna, the reception efficiency is better, but its cost and complexity are also considerably greater. Rectennas would likely be several kilometers across.

In an article I found along the way, SPS at Mars would be impacted by dust storms, so the concern about RF attenuation applies there as well.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-01-05 14:18:57

This snippet is from a tech newsletter that shows up periodically ...

Warehouse robots to improve their speed
Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) have improved the time it takes for sorting robots to grasp and move objects using artificial intelligence (AI).

Another item in the same newsletter announced selection of electric actuators to control the deluge of water during SLS launch events, if they every occur.

It sounds as though at least the water deluge will be ready.

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SpaceNut · 2021-01-10 10:22:18

First steps for Mars is canalization of any ships not returning to build from the existing parts and pieces for constructing the machines we did not deliver to Mars as this not only is for the metal, wiring but of plumbing and the electrical plus electronics that it has. Tanks will be repurposed for other uses as well.
This activity is the one which makes for growth from what you have rather than political delay to ship it New from earth....

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-16 14:19:11

The article at the link below contains an image that shows a possible interior for Mars underground transport carriages:

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/more-ec … 00075.html

While the design is for a business jet, it could work for Elon Musk's hyperloop passenger cars.

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tahanson43206 · 2021-01-17 12:07:04

For SpaceNut ....

If you decide to open a topic for kbd512's suggestion of solid Carbon for energy storage on Mars, the quote below might fit there:

From Google:

About 98,400,000 results (0.82 seconds)
Image result for how to make solid carbon from carbon dioxide
Using a liquid metal catalyst, greenhouse gas carbon dioxide can be removed from the atmosphere and changed into solid carbon that can be stored or used for other products. Carbon capture and storage has fallen out of favor recently.Mar 1, 2019
CO2 Converted to Solid Carbon | designnews.comwww.designnews.com › batteryenergy-storage › co2-con...

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