Oct 14, 2019 10:46 PM
(This post was last modified: Oct 15, 2019 08:10 PM by C C.)
NASA engineer proposes "helical engine" for interstellar travel with no propellant
https://www.newsweek.com/helical-engine-...el-1465012
EXCERPT: An engineer who works for NASA has put forward a proposal for a new way to travel through interstellar space—a "helical engine" that could, potentially, push a spacecraft forward without the need for any propellant at all. David Burns, from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, presented his idea on the space agency's Technical Reports Server...
[...] Burns said his helical engine would work by accelerating ions confined in a loop. By changing their mass slightly, the engine would then move the ions back and forth along the direction of travel to produce thrust. New Scientist notes that the helical engine would need to be 650 feet long and 40 feet wide in order to work.
"This in-space engine could be used for long-term satellite station-keeping without refueling," Burns wrote. "It could also propel spacecraft across interstellar distances, reaching close to the speed of light. The engine has no moving parts other than ions traveling in a vacuum line, trapped inside electric and magnetic fields."
Burns says the research has not been reviewed by experts and that errors relating to his math "may exist." Martin Tajmar, from Germany's Dresden University of Technology ... told ... the helical engine will probably face the same problems the Em Drive did. "All inertial propulsion systems—to my knowledge—never worked in a friction-free environment," he is quoted as saying. (MORE - details)
Preparing for an inevitable CME (Can expensive redesigning mitigate effects?)
https://theness.com/neurologicablog/inde...table-cme/
EXCERPT: Let’s consider the following scenario – the Earth is at risk for a disruptive event. This event has, conservatively, about a 0.2% chance of happening on any given year. But that is the most conservative estimate, at the high end it could be more like 12% over the next decade. Either way the chance of this type of event happening in the 21st century is quite high, and no matter what it is inevitable.[...] The most conservative estimate of how much such an event would cost is $2 trillion dollars, but experts are increasingly leaning toward $20 trillion as being a closer estimate (and this figure will only go up in the future).
So here’s my question – what do you think we should spend now to avoid a high probability of civilization collapse over the next century costing tens of trillions of dollars and growing? I am not talking about global warming, or environmental degradation, the death of the bees, an asteroid strike, or massive crop failure. I am talking about a coronal mass ejection (CME) – a solar storm.
A CME is actually the greatest threat to civilization that we face, in terms of probability and effect. In fact I think we are underestimating the chaos that a worst-case scenario would cause. Imagine going without power for a year. I know, there are people around the world who live without power, and the residents of Peurto Rico recently experienced something similar. But if this happened on a global scale, there’s no one coming with aid. Global infrastructures on which we all depend would collapse. How many people would starve or freeze? How much wood would be burned to keep warm or cook until the power comes back on? There are so many downstream effects that we cannot anticipate.
A CME is essentially a solar storm which burps out a stream of ionized particles. If a particularly big storm is aimed at the Earth, the resulting magnetic field would induce an electrical current in anything large enough. A powerful induced electric current can destroy electronic equipment, including the transformers upon which our electrical grids depend. The grid, with miles of conducting wire, is incredibly vulnerable to such events. Our satellites are more vulnerable, however, because they are less protected by the Earth’s magnetic field. Only the most powerful CME will hit the ground, but even modest ones could threaten satellites. Your small electronic devices are probably safe, unless they are plugged in.
The last really powerful CME to hit was in 1859, known as the Carrington Event. This hit when we were right at the dawn of the electrical age. The CME was strong enough to induce a current in telegraph lines, taking them down and causing them to spark, even starting some fires. This was just a taste, however, of what would happen today. But there have been other large CME events – 1872, 1909, 1921, and 1989. The 1989 one was strong enough to take down Quebec’s power grid for a week. Some of these storms were as strong as the Carrington event, just not optimally aimed at the Earth.
So what are we doing about this undeniably dire eventuality? Surprisingly little. What would you spend today to save trillions of dollar sometime this century? I would think it would be worth spending at least tens of billions of dollars, if not hundreds of billions. What can we do? (MORE - details)
https://www.newsweek.com/helical-engine-...el-1465012
EXCERPT: An engineer who works for NASA has put forward a proposal for a new way to travel through interstellar space—a "helical engine" that could, potentially, push a spacecraft forward without the need for any propellant at all. David Burns, from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, presented his idea on the space agency's Technical Reports Server...
[...] Burns said his helical engine would work by accelerating ions confined in a loop. By changing their mass slightly, the engine would then move the ions back and forth along the direction of travel to produce thrust. New Scientist notes that the helical engine would need to be 650 feet long and 40 feet wide in order to work.
"This in-space engine could be used for long-term satellite station-keeping without refueling," Burns wrote. "It could also propel spacecraft across interstellar distances, reaching close to the speed of light. The engine has no moving parts other than ions traveling in a vacuum line, trapped inside electric and magnetic fields."
Burns says the research has not been reviewed by experts and that errors relating to his math "may exist." Martin Tajmar, from Germany's Dresden University of Technology ... told ... the helical engine will probably face the same problems the Em Drive did. "All inertial propulsion systems—to my knowledge—never worked in a friction-free environment," he is quoted as saying. (MORE - details)
Preparing for an inevitable CME (Can expensive redesigning mitigate effects?)
https://theness.com/neurologicablog/inde...table-cme/
EXCERPT: Let’s consider the following scenario – the Earth is at risk for a disruptive event. This event has, conservatively, about a 0.2% chance of happening on any given year. But that is the most conservative estimate, at the high end it could be more like 12% over the next decade. Either way the chance of this type of event happening in the 21st century is quite high, and no matter what it is inevitable.[...] The most conservative estimate of how much such an event would cost is $2 trillion dollars, but experts are increasingly leaning toward $20 trillion as being a closer estimate (and this figure will only go up in the future).
So here’s my question – what do you think we should spend now to avoid a high probability of civilization collapse over the next century costing tens of trillions of dollars and growing? I am not talking about global warming, or environmental degradation, the death of the bees, an asteroid strike, or massive crop failure. I am talking about a coronal mass ejection (CME) – a solar storm.
A CME is actually the greatest threat to civilization that we face, in terms of probability and effect. In fact I think we are underestimating the chaos that a worst-case scenario would cause. Imagine going without power for a year. I know, there are people around the world who live without power, and the residents of Peurto Rico recently experienced something similar. But if this happened on a global scale, there’s no one coming with aid. Global infrastructures on which we all depend would collapse. How many people would starve or freeze? How much wood would be burned to keep warm or cook until the power comes back on? There are so many downstream effects that we cannot anticipate.
A CME is essentially a solar storm which burps out a stream of ionized particles. If a particularly big storm is aimed at the Earth, the resulting magnetic field would induce an electrical current in anything large enough. A powerful induced electric current can destroy electronic equipment, including the transformers upon which our electrical grids depend. The grid, with miles of conducting wire, is incredibly vulnerable to such events. Our satellites are more vulnerable, however, because they are less protected by the Earth’s magnetic field. Only the most powerful CME will hit the ground, but even modest ones could threaten satellites. Your small electronic devices are probably safe, unless they are plugged in.
The last really powerful CME to hit was in 1859, known as the Carrington Event. This hit when we were right at the dawn of the electrical age. The CME was strong enough to induce a current in telegraph lines, taking them down and causing them to spark, even starting some fires. This was just a taste, however, of what would happen today. But there have been other large CME events – 1872, 1909, 1921, and 1989. The 1989 one was strong enough to take down Quebec’s power grid for a week. Some of these storms were as strong as the Carrington event, just not optimally aimed at the Earth.
So what are we doing about this undeniably dire eventuality? Surprisingly little. What would you spend today to save trillions of dollar sometime this century? I would think it would be worth spending at least tens of billions of dollars, if not hundreds of billions. What can we do? (MORE - details)
