Moon Power - Miniature Death Star

MarsDog · 2005-03-02 20:51:23

Defending the Solar System, vaporizing Aliens, moving comets, travel via beamed propulsion, preventing the next ice age, will require enormous energy.

The solar energy on the Moon is equivalent to a 100 megaton bomb every 4 seconds. Discounting for efficiency, bomb a minute energy equivalent could be feasible.

If a very large comet headed for Earth, one side could be microwaved with the equivalent energy of the biggest bomb built (but newer exploded)

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Moon's Diameter = 2/7 Earth's Diameter
moon per day (4/(49*365))*(10^25/10^17)= 2.236e-4 * e8 = 2.2365e4
100 megatonnes bombs = 932/hour = 1 every 4 seconds

Shaun Barrett · 2005-03-02 23:04:07

The solar energy on the Moon is equivalent to a 100 megaton bomb every 4 seconds.

Is that the energy falling on the entire sunlit half? ???

Commodore · 2005-03-02 23:51:55

But that wouldn't answer the eternal question.

Is it a moon, or is it a space station? :;):

Palomar · 2005-03-03 08:32:59

The solar energy on the Moon is equivalent to a 100 megaton bomb every 4 seconds.
Is that the energy falling on the entire sunlit half? ???

*Interesting.

MarsDog, would you please name the source of information you got this information from? Meanwhile -- pending your reply -- I'll do some Googling.

Thanks.

--Cindy

::EDIT:: Found some stuff relating strictly to Sol's output and also the Moon as it factors into comet crashes, but not specifically the above assertion.

MarsDog · 2005-03-03 20:11:18

Is that the energy falling on the entire sunlit half?

Total incident sunlight added up for the entire year, adjusted from Earth reference, for smaller diameter of Moon, compared to Earth.

http://oceanweb.ocean.washington.edu/co … .pdf]Power of various processes

http://www.google.com/search?q=power+va … f-8]Google for more links

Earth's annual sunshine 10^25 joules

Moon Earth diameter ratio is 2/7 (area = (2/7)^2)

Taking ratios and calculating for seconds gave one large bomb per 4 seconds. However a source gives http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Library … tml]Energy in 50 megatonnes = 2.1x10^17 joules. So it might be closer to one large bomb in 2 seconds.

If you could phase lock a moonwide array of microwave transmitters beaming . . .

And Mercury would give an order of magnitude more power.

karov · 2005-03-04 09:21:17

The figures are right, but why to waste the valuable surface of rare ( just a few available at all SolSys-wide) planetary mass objects ( i.e. waste territory) to cover it with solar EM power tapping + power delivery devices?

Vastly more efficient system would be much closer to the Sun situated statite mirror lense system - hanging on the "upward" solar radiation push. If such soleta is put say 1.5 solar radii from the Sun ( i.e. roughly 100 times closer than the Earth/Moon to our star) , it will harness the same amount of energy with 10 000 times smaller tapping area/100 times smaller diameter than the moon. Only ~40 km wide soleta, made from soap-bubble thin "solar-sail" material and weighting only about 30 000 tonnes...

reddragon · 2005-03-04 17:02:07

The solar energy on the Moon is equivalent to a 100 megaton bomb every 4 seconds.

Do you know what this is in kilowatt hours. When we're not busy zapping asteroids we'll want to use that energy to provide electricity to Earth, space stations, moon bases, etc.

The figures are right, but why to waste the valuable surface of rare ( just a few available at all SolSys-wide) planetary mass objects ( i.e. waste territory) to cover it with solar EM power tapping + power delivery devices?
Vastly more efficient system would be much closer to the Sun situated statite mirror lense system - hanging on the "upward" solar radiation push. If such soleta is put say 1.5 solar radii from the Sun ( i.e. roughly 100 times closer than the Earth/Moon to our star) , it will harness the same amount of energy with 10 000 times smaller tapping area/100 times smaller diameter than the moon. Only ~40 km wide soleta, made from soap-bubble thin "solar-sail" material and weighting only about 30 000 tonnes...

Yes, that makes more sense to me. Solar arrays work just as well in space as on the moon. Besides increased efficiency and no waste of planetary surfaces for space based arrays, they would be easier to build and service in zero-gravity. They are also much more within our current capability than is sending large quantities of material and people to the moon to build solar arrays there.

MarsDog · 2005-03-06 02:16:52

After watching Darth Wader in Star Wars blow up a planet, it seems disappointing just how little power is really awailable, even if we used the whole Moon surface.

The Moon is going to be colonized as a conveniently close industrial park. Besides manufacturing, beamed energy export will produce income for the settlers.

Beaming to one Astronomical Unit at 300 MHZ:
3.48 x 10^6 m/1m = 150 x 10^9 m/Resolution
Resolution = 150 x 10^9 m / 3.48 x 10^6 m= 43 km

At microwave oven frequency, 2.4 GHZ, around 6 km.
That could met a lot of ice on Mars in a small area.

reddragon · 2005-03-06 16:55:35

After watching Darth Wader in Star Wars blow up a planet,

If there's not enough power for that, that's probably a good thing.

it seems disappointing just how little power is really awailable, even if we used the whole Moon surface.

The good news is we're not restricted to the Lunar surface. Solar arrays can be placed anywhere in orbit around the sun--the closer the better.

At microwave oven frequency, 2.4 GHZ, around 6 km.
That could met a lot of ice on Mars in a small area.

An interesting idea. Probably easier than the other schemes of using giant mirrors and what not for terraforming.

MarsDog · 2005-03-10 19:50:55

interesting idea. Probably easier than the other schemes of using giant mirrors and what not for terraforming.

Using ratios, if the frequency could be upped to 30 Ghz (1 cm)
(100 X 300 Mhz)
Then the same radius could be illuminated to 100 AU.
Supporting a space colony at the Sun's focal point, around http://www.cec.mtu.edu/csa/courses/pres … as.htm]550 AU, the ultimate telescope might be even be possible.

The Moon will be colonized and industrialized because it is easy. It will be covered with solar cells, and it is a little extra to add the microwave transmitters.

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http://oceanweb.ocean.washington.edu/co … s.pdf]From this link:
Exploding volcano (Krakatoa) 10^19 joules
U.S. energy consumption 10^20 joules
100-megaton H-bomb 10^17 joules

So a very big bomb is not that big (10 times less than Richter 8 earthquake.)

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#1 2005-03-02 20:51:23

Re: Moon Power - Miniature Death Star

#2 2005-03-02 23:04:07

Re: Moon Power - Miniature Death Star

#3 2005-03-02 23:51:55

Re: Moon Power - Miniature Death Star

#4 2005-03-03 08:32:59

Re: Moon Power - Miniature Death Star

#5 2005-03-03 20:11:18

Re: Moon Power - Miniature Death Star

#6 2005-03-04 09:21:17

Re: Moon Power - Miniature Death Star

#7 2005-03-04 17:02:07

Re: Moon Power - Miniature Death Star

#8 2005-03-06 02:16:52

Re: Moon Power - Miniature Death Star

#9 2005-03-06 16:55:35

Re: Moon Power - Miniature Death Star

#10 2005-03-10 19:50:55

Re: Moon Power - Miniature Death Star

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