Space Exploration Technology: Space Exploration and Nuclear Propulsion Space Exploration –> Technology Contents IntroductionSpace Mission AnalysisLimitations of Chemical Rocket EnginesThe Advantage of Nuclear Propulsion SystemsSample Calculations for a Mars MissionWhat Progress Has Been Made in Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion?ConclusionsReferencesTable 1: Types of Propulsion SystemsTable 2: Mars Mission Comparison - Round TripFigure 1: Mass Ratio Dependence on Mission Delta-V and Specific ImpulseFigure 2: Schematic Diagram7 of a Solid Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) Engine Introduction For those who are interested in the exploration and development of space by humans, nuclear propulsion technology is a very attractive option. Space Mission Analysis For any space mission, there are a few basic questions that must be answered: What is the destination? To convert the reactor heat into electricity, thermoelectric or thermionic devices could be used, but these have low efficiencies and low power to weight ratios. References Table 1: Types of Propulsion Systems
Graphene is Next Valkyrie Ice Graphene. If you’ve never heard about it, don’t worry, a lot of people haven’t, because it’s really only been “discovered” relatively recently, and most of the truly interesting news about it has been in the last year. The amazing thing is that we’ve actually been using it for centuries, in the form of the common pencil. By now, most of you are familiar with carbon nanotubes, a.k.a. But that isn’t all. All of these properties make graphene a very important material for the future of electronics. Let’s think about that for a moment. That’s a jump of two or three orders of magnitude up the exponential curve, my friends, especially when you combine it with the advances in multi-core technology and parallel computing. We’re talking about that smartphone in your pocket having a thousand times the computing power of your desktop PC, but using no more power. That big a leap in processing speed will simplify a lot of extremely complex tasks that require extensive amounts of data.
Welcome To Scaled Composites Silica Aerogel (TEOS, Base-Catalyzed) Editor’s Note: This is an adaptation of the silica aerogel procedure from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory site about aerogels, which for a long time was the only procedure for making aerogels publicly available. That procedure, we’re sorry to say, does not work. Maybe you’ve tried it. If you have, you’ll have noticed that the solution stays separated as two layers and a gel never forms. That’s because there’s not enough alcohol. Materials Tetraethoxysilane (tetraethyl orthosilicate), Si(OC2H5)4Absolute (200-proof) ethanolDeionized waterAmmonium hydroxide, 28-30 wt % in waterAmmonium fluoride, NH4FOptionalAcetone Gel Preparation An Excel calculator for determining amounts of chemicals required by target volume (mL) or mass (g) is available. Weigh 1.852 g NH4F and add it to 100 mL of water. What Everything Does TEOS is the source of the silica. What Doesn’t Work Not using ammonium fluoride. Variables You Can Play With Gel Processing Conditions What You Should Get Useful Information
25 Beautifully Illustrated Thought-Provoking Questions A question that makes you think is worth asking… At the cusp of a new day, week, month, or year, most of us take a little time to reflect on our lives by looking back over the past and ahead into the future. We ponder the successes, failures and standout events that are slowly scripting our life’s story. This process of self reflection helps us maintain a conscious awareness of where we’ve been and where we intend to go. If you would like to maximize the benefits of self reflection, our new sister site, Thought Questions, is for you. Remember, these questions have no right or wrong answers. Here’s a sample of 25 recent thought questions posted on the site: Thought Questions is updated daily. Title photo by: Oberazzi For all other photo credits please refer to ThoughtQuestions.com Related 6 Questions that Will Save Your Relationships When you don't ask sincere questions and talk it out, there's a lot of important stuff that ends up never getting said. May 21, 2014 In "Life" July 24, 2008
Road map Approximately twenty-four hours before landing, the crew will move from the transit habitat into the landing module, bringing some of the supplies from the transit habitat. The landing module will then detach from the transit habitat, which is too large to land on Mars. The transit habitat is discarded and stays in orbit around the sun. The landing technology will be the same as used for previous cargo missions. This will ensure that the human crew lands in a system that has been tested several times already. Upon landing, the crew takes up to forty-eight hours to get used to gravity after spending six to eight months in space. Redundancy is extremely important, because the astronauts can't abandon their mission in case of an emergency. When the hardware for the second crew is incorporated, the crew of four astronauts will have four living units and four life support units, enough to sustain a crew of sixteen astronauts.
Daily Wisdom If you tell yourself that you are happy, miserable or bored, you have already separated yourself from that particular sensation that is there inside you. U.G. Krishnamurti 50 Life Secrets and Tips Memorize something everyday.Not only will this leave your brain sharp and your memory functioning, you will also have a huge library of quotes to bust out at any moment. Poetry, sayings and philosophies are your best options.Constantly try to reduce your attachment to possessions.Those who are heavy-set with material desires will have a lot of trouble when their things are taken away from them or lost. Possessions do end up owning you, not the other way around. Become a person of minimal needs and you will be much more content.Develop an endless curiosity about this world.Become an explorer and view the world as your jungle. Stop and observe all of the little things as completely unique events. Read “Zen and the Art of Happiness” by Chris Prentiss.This book will give you the knowledge and instruction to be happy at all times regardless of the circumstances.
How I Can Afford My Life Of Constant Travel I’m confused. I’m simply confused as to how it’s possible that I have so far failed to properly explain how I’ve managed to travel/live/work abroad nonstop for 12 years straight (and counting). The questions are still pouring in every single day: How do you do it? And while I thoroughly enjoy communicating with readers (I’m being completely serious and encourage you all to continue sending your emails to me as often as you wish), the fact that these very questions are on the minds of so many of you out there has led me to believe that I need to do a better job at providing the answers. While it’s true that I’ve already written plenty of posts on the matter, clearly all of these posts, even as one collective entity, still fall well short of proving that a life of travel is not some crazy fantasy but a perfectly reasonable and easily attainable lifestyle option instead. So what am I to do? The following is a brief summary of the past 12 years of my life. December 25, 1999: March 2000 April 2003
Flying Flying is also fun and challenging. You have to think and act in three dimensions. You have the freedom to move to a lot of new spots on the globe. You learn to examine and appreciate scenery and natural phenomena that you'd never be able or wouldn't bother to see from the ground. Charles Lindbergh put it best: "Science, freedom, beauty, adventure." Sadly Lindbergh was, in addition to being a great aviator, a supporter of the Nazis. Even if the end goal is soaring, you might want to try this some time. Happy to hear of your new interest, Phil. Seattle Space Needle After you finish your instrument rating, you may find your VFR skills have deteriorated because the instrument flying gets you accustomed to being led through the system to the end of the runway.