Save the space shuttle …
p2pnet news | Off Topic:- Fact. One day Planet Earth will be snuffed out.
That seems like a fate that’s far away. Too far away to bother about. But scientist and inventor Michael Thomas believes people who think like that are condemning future generations.
There’s literally no time like the present, and there’s no time to waste, he says. We’d better soon start looking to space exploration, planetary colonization, and space mining to help our children’s children’s children to be ready for that final day when the sun goes out. Forever.
It should be opur legacy to them, says Thomas, the designer of the world’s first Linear Particle Accelerator (LINAC) atom smasher, with which he plans on taking space propulsion in a direction never thought of before.
His ideas take on a new significance with the news that NASA may cancel the Space Shuttle Program as soon as the current mission is over.
Meanwhile, if Thomas’ name seems familiar, you’re probably a long time reader of p2pnet who remembers his first (but by no means only) appearance on this site.
Because he’s also a data storage expert who conceived the Atomic Holographic DVR disc drive which would, “hold every music CD and movie DVD you ever owned, or will own, and still leave space for not only your family album, but your brother’s, sister’s, aunt’s and uncle’s too,” as p2pnete posted back then.
Meanwhile, Thomas believes we owe it to ourselves, to our children, and to generations yet unborn to not merely start thinking about how humankind is to survive, but to actually start doing something about it.
Here’s Thomas on where we’re going next, and how we’re going to get there >>>
The Space Shuttle using an Advanced Electric Propulsion Linear Electron Beam Particle Accelerator (LINAC) for light speed electron particle propulsion using the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect and Birkeland currents is a unique concept.
The Oberth technology in present-day use can be classified as an antiquated propulsion technology which hits ~ 25,000 miles/hr. max (.00378 % of c, c=186,000 miles/sec) with a very limited travel distance.
Space travelers using it would see the time needed to travel to Alpha Centauri, our closest neighboring star, taking hundreds if not,thousands, of years (half point acceleration and deceleration points assumed throughout discussion).
It’s obviously in America’s interest to stay in the forefront of innovation. New ideas like that proposed in this aricle will help to guarantee America’s leadership in space exploration.
Propulsion that hits 10 % of light speed that is ~ 67,061,662 miles/hr. and there’s plenty of room to learn and grow towards 99.9 % the speed of light (c=670,616,629.384 mile per hour). This would mean travel to Mars in days, not years, and travel to Alpha Centauri in 5 to 10 years.”
A pebble bed nuclear reactor will supply the power of >25 Megawatts every second for 10 years for the Linear Electron Beam Accelerator Propulsion (LINAC) using an invariant mass light speed thermionic electron / microwave beam that can be used as a high power effective propulsion propellant.
A constant positive charge on the ship’s hull will attract the inexhaustible concentration of free electrons in space to allow for an infinite renewable supply of electrons, making the engine technology capable of continuous 24 x 7 non-stop propulsion operation constantly accelerating at 1 g where NLS would then be possible.
NLS technology doesn’t use deadly external nuclear explosions, or carcinogenic chemicals for thrust, like that proposed by current aerospace and government agencies. It’s safe for Planet Earth, and doesn’t pollute the space environment.
All currently used methods of propulsion can only operate for a very limited period of time before the propellant is used up.
NLS proposes a technology using electron beam propulsion with greater than 56,000 hp which can be operated around the clock, allowing it to reach velocities only dreamed of by sci-fi writers and others who speculate on the future.
Dr Steve Schaefer, PhD Princeton University (Physics), “Calculates if X = 4.3 light-years, then T = 3.6 years. Dozens of stars could be reached in five to six years. In fact, a traveler could even go the Andromeda galaxy (2,000,000 light years) in under 29 years (Ship Time in Years) if a constant acceleration could be maintained.” Also see Dr. Carlos I. Calle, PhD, NASA senior research scientist, below.
Dr Schaefer calculates, “If the total distance is X, then the total travel time T is given by expression:
X / 2 = (c 2 / g) [cosh (0.5 g T / c) 1] : T = (2 c / g) cosh -1(1 + 0.5 g X / c 2) “
The Space Shuttle could travel from Earth to Mars would take 72 days one way, or 144 days round trip back to Earth.
The minimum and maximum distances of 56 – 400 million KM not being significant with .5 to 3.7 hours difference.
Using today’s 25,000 miles/hr propulsion technology to Mars when it’s closest at 35-60 million miles opposition takes 6 to 8 months one way or, using the average distance of 141 million miles (250 million maximum), 21 months (639 days) one way or 1278 days (3.5 years) round trip to Mars !
The possibility for space colonization, space mining, and space travel would be limitless.
And forget about low earth orbit joy trips now being offered by space tourism companies.
Mankind could find itself doing what it does best, exploring.
There’ll be many new Columbus and Lewis and Clarks blazing trails, discovering new worlds and determining how and where we’ll live.
Tomorrow’s Trillionaires
The NLS propulsion technology has been peer reviewed by several physicists as being valid technology following Newton’s and Einstein’s laws using invariant mass propulsion.
Present Day Solid Rocket Exhaust is 1,000 to 4,000 m/s with 10^3 N to 10^7 N thrust and a firing duration of minutes.
The Proposed NLS
Propulsion uses 300,000,000 metres per second electrons with 1 N to 1Ã10^6 N thrust and a firing duration of years – decades and capable of developing > 50,000 hp.
The cost per pound for current Chemical Rocket technology is $ 2,000 to $ 27,000 dollars per launch.
This generally runs into hundreds of millions of dollars per launch as verified by the industry. Current Chemical Rocket technology has some reusagable parts having possible recovery of rockets components. Near Light speed technology will only be the cost of running the space craft at several thousand dollars per month once launched into GEO. The NLS components are reusable and will stay in space for the entire life of the space craft.
Dr Ian Crawford says fears we’ve,”allowed a noble dream to fade”.
Exploring the Electric Universe. The new vantage point emphasizes the role of electricity in space and shows the negligible contribution of gravity in cosmic events.
Medusa Megawatt directed energy technology concept for space mining.
The three files below can be downloaded showing some of the technology details.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic – Dr Arthur C. Clark
It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity – Albert Einstein
Imagination is more important than knowledge – A. Einstein
Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds. The latter cannot understand it when a person does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses their intelligence – Albert Einstein
Today’s science fiction is often tomorrow’s science fact – Dr. Stephen Hawking
Long experience has taught me this about the status of mankind with regard to matters requiring thought: the less people know and understand about them, the more positively they attempt to argue concerning them, while on the other hand to know and understand a multitude of things renders men cautious in passing judgment upon anything new – Galileo
It is our ability to invent the future which gives us hope and makes us who we are – Dennis Gabor, Nobel laureate
The choice is the universe or nothing – H.G. Wells
A future spacecraft, using technologies that we haven’t even dreamed of, may use an engine that could sustain a constant acceleration of 1g until the ship reaches relativistic speeds. With such an engine, a trip even to Andromeda may be possible within a human lifetime – “Einstein For Dummies”, By Dr. Carlos I. Calle, PhD, NASA senior research scientist Pub. Date: June 2005, ISBN: 978-0-7645-8348-3, Pages: 384 Pages.
Table 1 (below) shows several possible trips on a ship constantly accelerating at 1 g.
Destination
Distance in Light-Years
Ship Time in Years
Alpha Centauri
4
3
Sirius
9
5
Epsilon Eridani
10
5
2M1207: Star with first visible planet
230
11
CoKu Tau 4
420
12
Galactic center
30,000
20
Andromeda galaxy
2,000,000
28
The figure for “Distance in Light-Years” is also the time that would pass on Earth while the ship traveled to its destination.
Why is deep space exploration and interstellar colonization included in our discussion of future human evolution? What are the motivations for Interstellar travel ? How are we going to get there ?
Imminent Death Extraterrestrial Life Pure Exploration Economics Survival Nationalism and Pride
Military Defense Space Tourism The resources, in terms of mineral deposits
Where Are We Going To Go?
Proximity Habitable Planets Galactic Interest
Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It’s really easy!
Subscribe
to p2pnet.net | | rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.phpNet access blocked by government restrictions? Use Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Go here for details. Download here.
January 20th, 2008 at 7:55 am
The space shuttle is an antiquated clay brick oven!! You yourself have great ideas for the future………
It amazes me that you of all people would hold back progress by suppressing new inventions and ideas
to make new and better shuttles!! Or is this a NASA advertisement?????????
January 20th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I dont agree.
I figure the thousands of folks who have worked to build a reliable space vehicle will seriosly disagree. As well as the historical facts.
In point of fact, there is billions invested with talent that cannot be replaced.
I feel it is time for the space shuttle to earn back some of the $$$$$ invested. A brick oven is sufficient to do the job
if it can go near light speed.
I am also for progress but I am also against waste and disloyaty to the great people who spent their lives making the shuttle a success.
January 20th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
what i don’t understand is how they expect the space shuttle to stay in one piece as they approach the speed of light (i just skimmed through this article btw, so i might’ve missed the crucial point explaining that)
jw though
January 25th, 2008 at 3:47 am
The acceleration is only 1G which doesnât put a lot of strain on the hull. So theoretically you could do it in a water balloon because of the low acceleration. The only thing you have to worry about is space debris. If u hit anything at relativistic speeds (close to lightspeed) you will probably be ripped to atoms by the kinetic energy released.
January 25th, 2008 at 8:52 am
We could also just stay put and be hit by debris like the ISS.
There are methods and materials that will be discovered in the exploration of space that will
solve these and many others issues.
It seems to me even when man was sailing his puny sailing ships from Britain to the America’s or
the Spanish from central America that the perils of destruction and pirates (space debris) didn’t avert
their exploration and it wont stop interstellar space exploration either.
By the way, 1 g is not to protect the hull of the space craft but the safety of the humans inside, as the speed is continusly increased (32 ft/sec^2 or 9.8 m/sec^2) = 1g force of gravity on Earth.
It will be interesting to see out future ancestors living on Mars and mining the solar system and beyond.
January 28th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Would it not be feasable for some kind of repellant field to gently shove approaching debris onto a path away from the ship or would that in turn give equal opposite force causing the ship to divert from its course? Even so this could be compensated for! I guess so anyway but I’m no physicist and this is pure speculation but at least the dream is still alive in me and hopefully many others which in turn increases the likelyhood of someone who actually knows what they are doing will show an interest too!
January 29th, 2008 at 11:33 am
you need more info on speed of space shipa
February 15th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I would put an umbrella infront of the space ship – like a snow mover. There you go!
February 15th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Actually why bother about a spaceship. I would fold the space plain and jump from one end to other, while sitting in my chair and an oxygen tank.
February 15th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Jox aside, this article should have explored using anti-matter fuel.
June 6th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
I think this is a great article, and personally I believe travel would be extremely possible. And in order to fix the debris problem…. We should look into something like positively charge hulls to repel debris. And find a way to make it continue to grow in charge i.e. strength with the kenetic movement energy of the ship.
July 24th, 2009 at 6:06 am
Space travel…I find it a funny subject because nobody is going to get anywhere near Mars (manned flights) for almost another 100 years. I mean look at the wasted money involved…1 BILLION for shuttle turn arounds never mind repair costs to a fleet of ancient vehicles that barely get out of the atmosphere as is. Apparently now they’re going to PAY the Russians for transport to the station when there’s no more shuttles,who forks the money out for that? Why go to another planet when you haven’t even finished ruining this one first? What does the government pay for the emissions output when they launch of the shuttles every time, not a dollar! Now that’s being eco-friendly,it’s time to come back to reality on THIS planet. For the money being spent on all these ‘space’ programs there has been no equity and/or return on what is put in.Besides I won’t let you get farther than the body you call the moon,you’re just not smart enough to realize the planet is your base,it’s your lives,without it you don’t and/or won’t exist.