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#76 2024-06-22 18:36:12

tahanson43206
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Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,936

Re: Void Postings

For Void re Musk interview...

https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 41#p224641

I am glad to see that GW liked the video.

Thanks for providing that link ... I was only able to afford the time to watch the first half, but hope to be able to find time to watch the second half.  I really like the way the interviewer and Elon interacted.  The interviewer did a pretty good job of speaking on behalf of the audience, and Elon did an amazing job of keeping his cool, and dealing with the questions as they came up.

In watching the video, it is fun to know that most of the test objectives were met.

(th)

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#77 2024-07-09 05:12:23

tahanson43206
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Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,936

Re: Void Postings

For Void re bubble worlds ....

If a traveler were to visit one of these, what would they see/experience?

1) What would the world look like from the outside?
2) How would access to the interior take place?
3) What would the interior look like?
4) Should the visitor remain inside the space craft during the visit?

(th)

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#78 2024-07-09 08:42:05

tahanson43206
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Re: Void Postings

For Void re topic on Bubble Worlds....

tahanson43206 wrote:

For Void re bubble worlds ....

If a traveler were to visit one of these, what would they see/experience?

1) What would the world look like from the outside?

So the answer is that on the sunward side, we would see a reflection of the Sun, except where there are windows, and on the anti-sunward side we would see nothing because the surface would reflect no light, and it would not produce light. I assume that surface would be bright in infrared?

2) How would access to the interior take place?

I have no idea at this point.

3) What would the interior look like?

Rotating habitats would seem reasonable, since you have included them in your vision.

4) Should the visitor remain inside the space craft during the visit?

I get the impression this would be a ** good ** idea?

(th)

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#79 2024-07-10 20:36:51

tahanson43206
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Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,936

Re: Void Postings

For Void re (to me surprising) post about making a bubble world at Mars...

Please add a bit of detail to this latest branch from a sturdy tree...

If you were a real estate developer, and you had a vision for the Mars system, you would hire skilled artists to make inspiring images to show the vistas your customers will enjoy and appreciate.  A few will decide to invest small amounts to encourage you to create more detailed specifications for the development.

As luck would have it, you ** are ** a skilled artist in using the tools you have shown us.

(th)

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#80 2024-07-13 20:48:02

tahanson43206
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Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,936

Re: Void Postings

For Void re coupled beam link ...

You are certainly right that the forum is operating in steady-as-she-goes mode, with members fully engaged in their own activities. The community room is quiet at the moment, but I am confident it will fill back up at some point.

In the meantime, posts such as your most recent one get undivided attention from those who do stop by.

I haven't read the link yet, but am responding to the the ** very ** nice artwork you provided.

The spreading of photon beams and particle beams has been a known problem for as long as I can recall presentations on the subject, so your post is most encouraging.  I will follow the link shortly, in hopes that someone has found a way to keep a beam tightly focused over light years if necessary.

Update after first scan of the article ... This article is certainly encouraging, but it appears to describe theoretical studies at this point.

I am certainly glad to see that ** someone ** is investigating this concept.  It will be a bit of a stretch from here to Proxima Centuri, but great ideas start out small, and this one appears to have garnered some support.

(th)

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#81 2024-07-18 04:41:59

tahanson43206
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Posts: 18,936

Re: Void Postings

For Void re new applicant ...

If you have time, and the request is of interest, please take a look at the candidate application we received this morning, as reported in the Recruiting topic.

This person appears to have vision in your class.  However, we don't know anything about the candidate at this point, and I would appreciate any assistance our members might provide.

Is this person someone we would like to include in the group? The active membership is very small at this point.  Is this someone who is interested in publishing his own work without regard to the postings of others?  That is a possibility. We have seen that before in the 20+ year history of the forum.

It this person interested in existing active members? 

(th)

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#82 2024-07-19 03:39:37

tahanson43206
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Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,936

Re: Void Postings

For Void...

Thanks for your evaluation of the prospective new member.

Regarding your recent post on a possible habitat design for Mars, I have a question about the interesting suggestion of using tar for protection.

http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php … 13#p225213

I'd be interested in learning more about how tar might be a superior radiation protection material.

Tar consists of Carbon and Hydrogen as the base. I asked Google for a list of the other substances found in tar, and a partial list includes oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur.  A quick scan of Google's offerings seems to show that lead is favored for radiation protection in certain wavelengths, but materials with hydrogen are favored for other radiation such as cosmic rays.  I understand that cosmic rays are nuclei with no electrons, such as alpha particles.

I asked Google again, and if found an article from space.com stating that cosmic rays are 90% hydrogen nuclei, and 9% alpha particles.  The remaining 1% may be nuclei of heavier elements, but those can pack a wallop .

If you can find a reference that compares materials in their effectiveness for blocking various wavelengths of radiation, it would be a helpful addition to the discussion of radiation protection.

(th)

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#83 2024-07-19 08:03:11

tahanson43206
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Re: Void Postings

For Void re latest post in Radiation topic ...

Thank you for the helpful comparison of a combination of tar and sand with concrete.

It is ** good ** to know that the combination is nearly twice as effective at blocking neutrons as concrete, at what I expect would be a much lower price.

However, it remains true that this forum has not yet accumulated knowledge the entire field of radiation protection.

The members of the forum have collected a large number of deep dives into particular kinds of radiation and protection methods, but as far as I know (always subject to correction) we do not yet have a single, comprehensive collection covering all radiation from beta particles to the most powerful cosmic ray nuclei.

The raditaion topic would be a good place for such a repository to build up over time.

(th)

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#84 2024-07-26 05:25:47

tahanson43206
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Re: Void Postings

For Void re latest post about Chinese discovery of water in "unknown" mineral from the Moon

http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php … 83#p225383

Thanks for bringing this news to our attention! 

I'm hoping you or other members might be willing to add some details to this surprising discovery!

For example, am I correct in thinking this sample might have been taken from the back side of the Moon? 

Was there something about the location that was different from the areas studied by the Apollo landers?

Your report certainly shows the value of on site studies!

(th)

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#85 2024-07-26 21:09:43

tahanson43206
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Re: Void Postings

For Void re Optimus update...

https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 82#p225382

Thanks for posting the link to that report!

The progress is amazing!

(th)

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#86 2024-08-01 09:19:22

tahanson43206
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Re: Void Postings

For Void re Interaction with GW Johnson!

It was good to see the recent exchanges between the two of you, and GW's appreciation of your ideas.

(th)

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#87 2024-08-01 16:08:38

tahanson43206
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Re: Void Postings

For Void re interaction with GW Johnson!

Bravo for winning this support of your idea!

Please keep developing this relationship.

(th)

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#88 2024-08-01 17:25:56

tahanson43206
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Re: Void Postings

For Void re skirts to contain debris ejected from the Lunar surface during landing ....

Please continue expanding your ideas ... debris kicked up by a rocket landing on an unprepared lunar surface is said to have the potential to travel far from the landing site at velocities that would be harmful to any humans or human artifacts in the vicinity.  Your language about the landing ring ??? that you and GW Johnson are considering seems to me to offer potential for actual use by Real Universe rocket developers.

I will continue to hope that you recognize at some point that you have the Real Deal right here in the forum, and you don't have to keep imagining what Elon Musk might do.  Elon Musk is NOT going to pay any attention to your ideas, because he is surrounded by people shoving ideas at him like coal into the burners of an early coal fired steamship.  You have (apparently) established a tenuous thread of believability with your ring lander idea. Please continue working on this, so see if you and Dr. Johnson can come up with something worth the $5,000 investment to patent.

(th)

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#89 2024-08-12 08:52:10

tahanson43206
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Re: Void Postings

For Void re post in Artificial Wombs topic...

Thanks for providing the link to the Wikipedia article on the subject...

As nearly as I can tell from reading the article carefully, the major impediment to development of artificial wombs appears to be ethical concerns.

Science Fiction authors have created a number of stories that include cloned armies as plot elements.  Starwars is a notable example, but there are others.

I wonder if the Artificial Womb topic should be divided into practice and ethics topics. 

(th)

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#90 2024-08-13 11:55:31

tahanson43206
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Re: Void Postings

For Void re heat at the depth where water might be found.

Thanks for adding this possibility to the mix.

The water (if it is there) may be too high to provide a thermal benefit.

In another topic, I have attempted to encourage members to think about a reverse of the Earth oriented "skyscraper" concept.

The Mars version would descend vertically into the planet, to avoid dangers of radiation on the surface.

I'd been thinking of supply of water as a motivation, but your reminder of possible thermal activity is helpful.

As far as I know, there is not yet any direct information about the thermal gradient in the Martian crust.

(th)

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#91 2024-08-17 20:51:26

tahanson43206
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Re: Void Postings

For Void re updates about DreamChaser...

Thanks for the news about the guppy (possibly) gobbling the whale!

I'm hoping you may find other news to share on this front, as it becomes available!

(th)

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#92 2024-08-24 06:14:58

tahanson43206
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Re: Void Postings

For Void re Phobos topic...

Thank you for the very nice image of a feature on Phobos that might become a base of operations for a company or a community.

During this time of relative quiet in the history of the forum, your contributions are all the more important.

We have many interesting ideas to study, thanks to the words and artwork you have provided.

(th)

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#93 2024-08-26 13:05:08

tahanson43206
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Posts: 18,936

Re: Void Postings

For Void re image of floating bubble to distill water and collect solar energy for electricity...

Thank you for your interesting addition to the new solar distillation topic!

Your introduction of the spherical form is particularly interesting.

I had been limited in my vision to hemispheres because those are what we see in the survival kits, but your suggestion of the spherical form immediately solves the problem of how the structure would retain it's shape.  A little bit of positive air pressure inside would keep the shape of a sphere, while insuring that half of the structure is above the water while the balance is below for stability.

You have added additional functionality that I had not considered as well.

All in all, this is a very nice post to help the new topic along.

(th)

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#94 2024-08-27 11:02:52

tahanson43206
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Re: Void Postings

For Void re post in Moon topic...

You have asked not to be asked to do anything.

That request is to be honored.

Without doing anything, please note that the quote from your recent post contains an error...

Either the chemical formula is wrong, or the text is wrong.

Quote:
The researchers found that lunar ilmenite (FeTiO3), a specific mineral in the regolith, contains the highest concentration of hydrogen due to its unique structure.

There is NO hydrogen listed in the formula.

However, it appears there is a version of the material with the formula: FeH6O3Ti

The CID from PubChem is 159436

In looking closely at the web page I will paste below, it is clear that three water molecules are bonded to one Titanium atom with one Iron.

Within the same document, both chemical formulas appear.

(th)

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Ilmenite

(th)

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#95 2024-08-27 11:29:06

Void
Member
Registered: 2011-12-29
Posts: 7,664

Re: Void Postings

Thank you, my notion of that materials is simply a hand-off, as is.  Your analysis is valuable.  In the contest between entities on this planet we can only give partial trust to what is claimed.  I like the materials, but I think that there can be a desire for more elaborations and explanations.  This is a touchy thing as there are lost in translation issues as well.  I am guessing that if you remove the Hydrogen then the material may revert to the (FeTiO3).  But we will want more information.

Last edited by Void (2024-08-27 11:31:02)


End smile

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#96 2024-08-29 09:33:26

tahanson43206
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Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 18,936

Re: Void Postings

For Void re surprising (to me for sure) statement in Moon topic.

Just fYI...

While a few spots on the Moon have almost eternal sunlight, minerals will be all over the place, and also the best place to launch Lunar products from would be the Equator.

That statement did not go unnoticed.

The Moon has no rotation to assist with a launch, so there must be some other reason why it would make a difference to launch from the equator.

However, you have asked never to be asked to do anything, so I will refrain from asking for an explanation of this statement.

However, if anyone else in the forum has any idea what Void might be talking about, I'd appreciate a post explaining the benefit of launching from the equator on the MOON.

(th)

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#97 2024-08-29 10:04:33

Void
Member
Registered: 2011-12-29
Posts: 7,664

Re: Void Postings

The Moon rotates once a month more or less when it orbits around the Earth.  Synchronous.

Done


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#98 2024-08-29 10:10:20

tahanson43206
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Posts: 18,936

Re: Void Postings

For Void re #97

Thank you for your clarification about launching from the Moon.

This is going to be an important issue for those who plan flights from the Moon, so it is good to be reminded of the Moon's motion with respect to the Earth.

(th)

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#99 2024-09-28 07:25:01

tahanson43206
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Posts: 18,936

Re: Void Postings

For Void re Longshot links...

Thank you for this set of links! https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 18#p226818

I read one of the links carefully, and see no reference to Dr. John Hunter.

Dr. Hunter's design envisioned a 1 kilometer long barrel. This design is remarkably different.

However, the report I read revealed that the builders have decided to implement the next version of their device using hydrogen gas, which was the gas chosen by Dr. Hunter for his designs.

The feature that really caught my eye, in contrast to Dr. Hunter's design, is the use of a long tube and multiple injection points.  This is a concept explored in some depth in this forum, but of course this forum is limited to theory. These folks have shown working hardware, and thus have earned significant funding to proceed to the next step.

A detail not covered in the report I read is how the "squeezing" would work.  One possibility is a hybrid of gas pressure behind the pusher plate, and magnetic force to pull the projectile. 

In short, thank you for another significant contribution to the collection of launch methods accumulating in the NewMars archive.

(th)

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#100 2024-09-29 10:28:35

tahanson43206
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Re: Void Postings

For Void re Swedish development of non-fossil-fuel steel making....

Thank you for link you posted in https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 43#p226843

At first reading, I think the method in  development looks immediately applicable to Mars.

The supply of fossil fuels there (or oxygen to burn them) is limited so the Swedish hydrogen method looks attractive.

One detail the reporter did not cover was the method of creating those iron pellets.

Mars is reported to have plenty of iron oxide.

Mining on Mars might look a little different that it does on Earth.

Update a bit later ... I asked Google about production of iron from rust, and if found a number of resources...

https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/ … -0125/html

The link above reports on a study of dealing with scale that forms naturally at the surface of hot vats of steel in large plants.

The scale consists in part of iron oxides, since oxygen in air combines readily with hot iron. 

I note that carbon monoxide was used in one instance and carbon monoxide would be available on Mars via processing of CO2.

(th)

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