outer space exploration

[niky]

You have to think in realistic terms... so far, amongst hardcore space science buffs, the idea of a "stargate" seems to lie completely in the realm of science fantasy. The closest we can get is to expand the throat of a wormhole... and that takes an enormous amount of energy.

We would destroy Jupiter to create a singularity that would perhaps give the energy to do this, but it might not be enough.

What we can do (non-destructively) with Jupiter is to harness its enormous magnetic field to power generators or to power said magnetic rail gun to fire interstellar space craft out of the solar system. Given enough money, it's feasible... we don't even have to build the rails... we just need to float the accelerator rings out in Jovian orbit.

Another intriguing idea is Niven's launch lasers... enormous laser batteries installed on the dark side of Mercury, using power generated by solar collectors on the sun-side to shove light-sails out into interstellar space.

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It's sad that we understand so much about the universe nowadays... the more we know about quantum physics, the less possible it seems that we can leave the solar system at light speed.

Even using traditional chemical rockets, it's doubtful. The amount of energy needed to send a human expedition to the nearest star in less than one hundred years exceeds the total energy production capacity of all current human industries.

We really need space-borne power sources, such as solar power stations before we can even begin to plan exploring the stars.

[safeorigin]

i thought you'd say that sir, it's not that absurd actually to build stargates but it's a good possibility when it comes to space-time distortion. it's not yet REALISTIC with our present technology. give it some 4 centuries and it may be possible enough. empty space imho is the ultimate testing ground for anything: no resistance, near-zero energy loss and everything is equational. hahaha{if only i could live to see a stargate by that time[sigh]}

[ghosthunter]

I don't remember if it's a R.A.Heinlien story or another author but I do remember a story where the spaceship was powered by nuclear bombs exploding under a "shell" on which the actual "spaceship" sits on. The nuclear bombs are ejected to the middle of the shell and explodes causing action-reaction thrust.

Not that it's practical but its a propulsion system that is not typical.

[oldblue]

why not instead of building a spaceship, we extract each of our universal energies and let it travel by light.

[niky]

i thought you'd say that sir, it's not that absurd actually to build stargates but it's a good possibility when it comes to space-time distortion. it's not yet REALISTIC with our present technology. give it some 4 centuries and it may be possible enough. empty space imho is the ultimate testing ground for anything: no resistance, near-zero energy loss and everything is equational. hahaha{if only i could live to see a stargate by that time[sigh]}

Well, who knows?

Maybe when we get to interstellar space, we'll find out that the lightspeed limit is a lie, and what we see of the universe is censored by alien anthropologists studying us from outside our little bubble of local space.

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Nuclear bomb drive... now that's old school.

[ghosthunter]

Well, who knows?
Maybe when we get to interstellar space, we'll find out that the lightspeed limit is a lie, and what we see of the universe is censored by alien anthropologists studying us from outside our little bubble of local space.

The so-called lightspeed limit could be a side effect of what we base our observations & calculations from. Personally, I believe it is possible to exceed the speed of light in a "spaceship". The only limiting factors would be energy source for the propulsion system and protection of the "spaceship" against interstellar particles hitting the ship traveling at very high speeds.

Nuclear bomb drive... now that's old school.

well, I loved the storyline where that idea was used. Typical fighting conquering aliens storyline with a liberal twist in the use of technology to fight them on their turf, outer space.

[ghosthunter]

One of the more novel ways I have come across to propel spaceships in interplanetary space is using steam. Basically the ship is a big water tank with a fusion reactor at one end and living quarters with a small cockpit or control room at the other end. The reactor is used to super heat the water into very high pressure steam and ejected out through the thruster nozzle. One of the reasons (in the storyline) such a propulsion system was employed was the relative abundance of water in space (in the form of ice). It would require very little processing before it can be used as propellant.

Of course the book was written in the time when ion thrusters wasn't even thought off and impulse drive was just found in Star Trek.

Such a system would be useful if employed in mining the asteroid belt for useful metals and minerals. No major requirement to have expensive chemical fuels shipped to the site to refuel the spaceships. Just extract enough water from some of the nearby ice asteroids or comets and there will be more than enough propellant for countless round trips.

The water can also be used in other ways. The power from the reactor can power water electrolysis to replace part of the ship's atmosphere lost to the vacuum of space. The water can also be used to human hygiene and growing food too. Blocks of specially frozen ice can be placed around the front of the spaceship to guard against small particle collisions too. Replacing the badly eroded ice blocks would require a spacewalk but not require major downtime at some sort of spaceborne dry dock.

[MAXBUWAYA]

So guys,

Is it safe to say that Women are from Mars, Men are from Venus?

[niky]

Steam... that's brilliant!

Imagine, having nuclear-powered boats that skim around the asteroid belt and between Earth and the Jovian system (Jupiter's moons may provide a good place to base human outposts... an abundance of raw materials for making interstellar ships out there...) puffing clouds of steam...

We actually already have ion drives. They're noteworthy for being fuel efficient (very little energy required...) but they're still pretty slow, at this point...

[mazdamazda]

Well, the problem with steam is that you need LOTS of water to make this work which is also inefficient since the bulk of the weight of the spaceship will be composed of fuel.

Although it would make sense, as you said it, if you mine asteroids for water and use it for fuel. Though "mining asteriods" isn't as simple as it sounds - and would still require complex spaceships and the like at first to make it feasible.