|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Ion engines and He3
I was reading in Popular Mechanics about a harebrained scheme to mine
the He3 from the moon to provide nuclear electricity for the earth. The rough guesses were that mining 1 sq mile of the moon might yield 200# of He3 which should provide electricity for Detroit for a year. Thinking back on the idea, it might be too expensive for earth power but might be ideal for a spaceship, especially a large manned spaceship. Unlimited electrical power would make ion drive practical and the lack of a rrequirement for a heavy radiation shield would be a huge bonus. How well researched is the He3 reactor idea? Is there enough He3 on earth to build a working He3 reactor? Is the reactor laser activated? -- Free men own guns, slaves don't www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/ |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 04:51:53 -0500, Nick Hull wrote:
I was reading in Popular Mechanics about a harebrained scheme to mine the He3 from the moon to provide nuclear electricity for the earth. The rough guesses were that mining 1 sq mile of the moon might yield 200# of He3 which should provide electricity for Detroit for a year. Why not just build the power plant on the moon & feed the energy to Detroit with long wires? The wires could also help control the moon's orbit becuase I here it's drifting away from us? Sometimes the simpleest ideas are the best. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Burnham Treezdown wrote in
: On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 04:51:53 -0500, Nick Hull wrote: I was reading in Popular Mechanics about a harebrained scheme to mine the He3 from the moon to provide nuclear electricity for the earth. The rough guesses were that mining 1 sq mile of the moon might yield 200# of He3 which should provide electricity for Detroit for a year. Why not just build the power plant on the moon & feed the energy to Detroit with long wires? The wires could also help control the moon's orbit becuase I here it's drifting away from us? The power losses would be excessive, among other things. Ahem. Sometimes the simpleest ideas are the best. That's certainly simple-minded. --Damon |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Nick Hull wrote:
How well researched is the He3 reactor idea? After 50 years, you can say it's *well* researched :-) Is there enough He3 on earth to build a working He3 reactor? Yes. To build 'a' reactor. And if it doesn't work you're in trouble :-) Is the reactor laser activated? No. Normal tokomak style reactor- you know, the one nobody can get to work after 50 years of research- only He3 needs it hotter, which makes it even more difficult... |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
"Burnham Treezdown" wrote in message
... But with the wires in the freedom of space & with no gravity to resist currant flow I'd think the losses would be much less. Why not string solar collectors along the wires too for a power boost? Current flow has nothing to do with gravity. -- Alan Erskine We can get people to the Moon in five years, not the fifteen GWB proposes. Give NASA a real challenge |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Alan Erskine wrote:
Current flow has nothing to do with gravity. How do you know this ? most wires on earth are perpendicular to earth's gravity. But if you had a long electrical wire running from moon to earth, perhaps the electrons would be accelerated by earth's gravity and impact earth at tremendous speeds :-) Seiously though, in a theoretical scenario with power production on the moon with a long wire back to earth, would the wire absolutely have to be 2 conductors, or could they devise a way to send the charged electrons on a one way trip to earth ? |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 06:27:22 -0500, John Doe wrote:
Alan Erskine wrote: Current flow has nothing to do with gravity. How do you know this ? most wires on earth are perpendicular to earth's gravity. Yes, I don't think a long enough wire has ever been built on earth know if it does. But if you had a long electrical wire running from moon to earth, perhaps the electrons would be accelerated by earth's gravity and impact earth at tremendous speeds :-) Maybe thats the answer to cold fusion? Seiously though, in a theoretical scenario with power production on the moon with a long wire back to earth, would the wire absolutely have to be 2 conductors, or could they devise a way to send the charged electrons on a one way trip to earth ? What happens when the moon runs out of electrons? Without electrons there cant be no more atoms, right? So would this destroy the moon? |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|