You are not logged in.
There has been some recent news about a superconducting material that can work at temperatures as high as 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).
http://www.superconductors.org/35C_sil.htm
Why is this important for Martian terraforming? Consider Mars' lack of a magnetic field, now imagine superconducting cables powered by solar or Areothermal energy which are buried under the surface and oriented like lines of latitude. When powered up, they could form a magnetic field that could keep a Martian atmosphere in place.
A more technical description can be found here (PDF warning).
SWAT Kats fanatic
Offline
Like button can go here
Well, a plan is a plan, which is better than none.
I have to say that opposing the force of the solar wind will be a daunting task. I don't say that to be a jerk. I wonder if we could turn the solar winds force against itself? Pull it's energy and turn it against itself. I don't have a plan, but I have a desire.
Is it possible that the root of political science claims is to produce white collar jobs for people who paid for an education and do not want a real job?
Offline
Like button can go here
What's the main importance of having a magnetic field again? I thought it's mainly to stop the solar wind, but of course this only erodes the atmosphere on geologic timescales. When it comes to protection against cosmic rays, isn't simply having a thick atmosphere good enough?
Offline
Like button can go here
What's the main importance of having a magnetic field again? I thought it's mainly to stop the solar wind, but of course this only erodes the atmosphere on geologic timescales. When it comes to protection against cosmic rays, isn't simply having a thick atmosphere good enough?
Yes it is. Magfield is luxury.
Offline
Like button can go here
Agreed, a planet capable of suporting a civilization for 100,000 years offers far more than what the human race has been supposed to have used so far as a technological creature or collection of creatures.
And if you can reboot that with smaller solar system objects, then yes, a magnetic field is a luxury.
Is it possible that the root of political science claims is to produce white collar jobs for people who paid for an education and do not want a real job?
Offline
Like button can go here
I have suggested restarting the dynamo in the planets core. Assuming Mars still has a liquid core, orient the electro-magnets to create a magnetic pulse that circles the planet. The idea is to induce a current in the liquid iron core. And use that to organize convection cells in the outer core. That would leverage power, utilizing the core of the planet itelf as the primary power for the magnetic field.
Last time I attended at talk about Mars core was LPSSC in 2005. That's a number of years ago, but at that time geologists argued loudly whether the core is liquid or not. My conclusion was we need more data. NASA's InSight probe will be the next one; it'll answer that question.
Technology question: I've read about these guys claims about room temperature superconductors. Why haven't the mainstream media reported it? Can the claimes be believed? Room temperature superconductors, or better yet, conductors that can withstand outdoor temperature on a summer day, can be used for long distance power transmission. That would eliminate power power transmission loss, making power utilities on Earth far more efficient! So why is this so hidden?
Offline
Like button can go here
This is the only topic with "superconductor" in the title.... I think it will be a good fit for this report on interesting research showing that certain materials can perform superconductivity at room temperature if subjected to extreme pressures.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technolo … 8930&ei=15
(th)
Offline
Like button can go here
It's time for another update in the superconductivity topic...
https://www.yahoo.com/fp/news/science/a … 00859.html
The Cool Down
Scientists shatter 30-year superconductivity record with zero-resistance material that works at normal pressure
Wyatt Fischer
Sun, May 31, 2026 at 1:00 AM EDTScientists shatter 30-year superconductivity record with zero-resistance material that works at normal pressure
Photo Credit: University of HoustonA team at the
University of Houston
says it has set a new superconductivity record, producing a material that can carry electricity with zero resistance at normal pressure and at a higher temperature than any previous ambient-pressure superconductor.
That does not mean room-temperature superconductors are here yet. But it does mark a significant step toward technologies that could dramatically reduce wasted energy.
What happened?
Researchers at the Texas Center for Superconductivity and the university's physics department measured a superconducting transition temperature of
151 Kelvin (-122 degrees Celsius).
The university said that it is the closest anyone has gotten to room temperature yet, and it is the highest temperature reported for an ambient-pressure superconductor since superconductivity was first identified in 1911, according to a ScienceDaily article.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, breaks a record that had stood for more than 30 years. The earlier ambient-pressure highest temperature was 133 K, reached in 1993 by the mercury-based copper oxide material Hg1223.
Physicists Ching-Wu Chu and Liangzi Deng achieved the new result using a technique called pressure quenching. They first exposed the material to high pressure to enhance its superconducting properties, then cooled it and rapidly released the pressure so the improved state remained stable under normal conditions.
"Our method shows that it is possible to retain that state without maintaining pressure," Chu said.
Why does it matter?
Superconductors allow electricity to move with no resistance, which means almost no energy is lost as heat. That could make power grids more efficient, improve energy storage, and support faster electronics, better MRI systems, and future fusion-energy technology.
Chu noted that about 8% of electricity is currently lost during transmission on the grid. Reducing those losses could lead to major savings while also cutting pollution tied to unnecessary power generation.
Most superconductors function only at extremely low temperatures, so expensive cooling systems are still required. Raising the operating temperature makes these materials far more practical for real-world applications and much easier for scientists to study with standard equipment.
The result could help bring cleaner, more efficient energy systems and medical technologies closer to everyday use.
The University of Houston team is now helping push the field toward an even more ambitious goal: room-temperature superconductivity at ambient pressure. Room temperature is roughly 300 K, so this record remains about 140 degrees Celsius short of that target.
Chu and Deng also contributed to a paper outlining six possible paths for pushing superconducting temperatures higher, including pressure quenching, the method used for this breakthrough.
Rohit Prasankumar, director of superconductivity research at Intellectual Ventures, said future advances will likely depend on collaboration among physicists, chemists, engineers, and materials scientists.
"This finding has great potential," Chu said. "We believe, with enough people working on it and given enough time, we should be able to realize the potential."
Deng added that ambient-pressure materials become "much more accessible for scientists to use well-developed instrumentation."
(th)
Offline
Like button can go here