So, what else is new?
I went short the markets a couple years too soon. Instead of waiting until now, when it seems good, I pulled the trigger two years ago. I'm deeply in the red on this position, but that seemed okay, because the potential payoffs seemed huge.
But when the fall did come, like off nearly 2k from the highs, this short position hasn't moved commensurate with that fall.
This may be just another way for the money changers to screw people. This thing could fall below the price I bought it at, but I'd still be way, way in the red. A ripoff.
This is a casino alright. In a casino, the game is rigged in the house's favor. You really can't win. In the end, they get all your money if you keep playing.
If I'm very fortunate, I'm might get my money back.
Al Fin: "Cowboy Commentary", aka "Eat your veggies" The Flag banner is posted in order to defy those who would make patriotic symbols illegal or disreputable.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Amazing what the politicians can get away with
This Iranian deal looks worse and worse the more I read about it. It's sickening that this isn't being trumpeted across the front pages of every newspaper and television screen in the country. It's that bad.
Obama should be forced to resign for making such a bad deal. It increases the insecurity of the country and of the world. A terrorist state is all but assured of getting the bomb now.
Update:
Ignorance is no excuse either. For the Congress to approve this deal ( by letting only 1/3 the veto power over the majority ) is inexcusable. For two years, Obama has been promising to Congress the very thing that he failed to deliver. If Congress lets him get away with this, the dishonor and betrayal would be on an epic level.
Update:
I note that Limbaugh isn't talking about it. Not too many people are getting the word, I suspect. They see AP's story alright, but that's not enough. The AP can be challenged, but the challenge can definitely be answered, but the silence is deafening.
Obama should be forced to resign for making such a bad deal. It increases the insecurity of the country and of the world. A terrorist state is all but assured of getting the bomb now.
Update:
Ignorance is no excuse either. For the Congress to approve this deal ( by letting only 1/3 the veto power over the majority ) is inexcusable. For two years, Obama has been promising to Congress the very thing that he failed to deliver. If Congress lets him get away with this, the dishonor and betrayal would be on an epic level.
Update:
I note that Limbaugh isn't talking about it. Not too many people are getting the word, I suspect. They see AP's story alright, but that's not enough. The AP can be challenged, but the challenge can definitely be answered, but the silence is deafening.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Climate change nonsense still alive
Like I was saying. You need a wooden stake to the heart of this beast in order to kill it off for good.
Katie Couric did an interview with Carly Fiorina on the subject of man made global warming, except it is now called "climate change". Supposedly, the conservatives are all agog about Fiorina's performance. If that's true, then they are much too easily impressed. She seemed to be going through the motions of the talking points. While she was doing this, she accepted all the premises of so-called "climate change", and therefore lost the argument from the beginning. I shut the video down after a couple of minutes.
So-called conservatives won't win on this issue because they don't have the imagination nor the guts to go directly after the left on the issue. It is nothing new for them, either. They are always doing things like this, it seems.
Fiorina has no answers, most likely. She doesn't have a clue.
Katie Couric did an interview with Carly Fiorina on the subject of man made global warming, except it is now called "climate change". Supposedly, the conservatives are all agog about Fiorina's performance. If that's true, then they are much too easily impressed. She seemed to be going through the motions of the talking points. While she was doing this, she accepted all the premises of so-called "climate change", and therefore lost the argument from the beginning. I shut the video down after a couple of minutes.
So-called conservatives won't win on this issue because they don't have the imagination nor the guts to go directly after the left on the issue. It is nothing new for them, either. They are always doing things like this, it seems.
Fiorina has no answers, most likely. She doesn't have a clue.
Why rank and file Democrats should oppose the Iran deal
That's because it would mean the end of the dollar as the world's reserve currency.
How? You can put your head in the sand, but other countries in the region can't afford to. When ( not if ) Iran gets the bomb and the necessary equipment to weaponize it, which they will thanks to this agreement, the Saudis will take note and get the bomb (and delivery systems) too. The Saudis will demand it from us, and if they can't get it from us, they will turn to others. The Saudis will question our will to defend them, and so they will stop using the dollar as a peg for the price for their oil. This is what's been supporting the dollar since Nixon closed the gold window in the early seventies. No more petro dollar, no more world reserve currency.
Without the ability to print up dollars at will, and borrow out the wazoo, the US government will have to live within its means. That means a lot of liberal programs will no longer be affordable to Uncle Sam. They will be cut back or eliminated.
No!!!!!!!
Yes!!!!!
You should oppose this because America's credibility is at stake. If America loses this, you lose too.
No more freebies. Too bad, so sad.
How? You can put your head in the sand, but other countries in the region can't afford to. When ( not if ) Iran gets the bomb and the necessary equipment to weaponize it, which they will thanks to this agreement, the Saudis will take note and get the bomb (and delivery systems) too. The Saudis will demand it from us, and if they can't get it from us, they will turn to others. The Saudis will question our will to defend them, and so they will stop using the dollar as a peg for the price for their oil. This is what's been supporting the dollar since Nixon closed the gold window in the early seventies. No more petro dollar, no more world reserve currency.
Without the ability to print up dollars at will, and borrow out the wazoo, the US government will have to live within its means. That means a lot of liberal programs will no longer be affordable to Uncle Sam. They will be cut back or eliminated.
No!!!!!!!
Yes!!!!!
You should oppose this because America's credibility is at stake. If America loses this, you lose too.
No more freebies. Too bad, so sad.
A little more detail of what's wrong with the Iran agreement
Been searching around for some more details about this deal. Funny how something so important is getting the silent treatment from so many...
This source pinpoints the problem as far as I'm concerned
but...
In other words, if Congress doesn't reject this with a veto proof majority, they will be accepting a deal that contradicts what they passed earlier so that they can review the deal. This is going to give it an aura of acceptability which it does not deserve.
Of course, this is a great opportunity to shed some light on a shady deal, but don't expect too many people to screaming about it from the rooftops because nobody seems to give a shit.
Cruz has said something. Where are the rest? They should be pounding on this until the vote comes in the Congress.
Update:
Why the side deals are important
This from National Review, which I cited yesterday, and now quote:
Update:
One more point. The AP story cannot be proven or disproven as to details because we cannot see the documents. These documents were required by law and could answer the question definitively, so how the hell do the supporters of the deal know if the AP story is true or false? They are taking Amano's word for it even though that contradicts what the law that was passed requires, and this law was signed by Obama himself. Why doesn't he enforce it himself then, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?
This source pinpoints the problem as far as I'm concerned
Earlier this year President Obama signed the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, which says Congress must receive all documents related to the deal, including any “entered into or made between Iran and any other parties.” That has to mean the IAEA.
but...
Secretary of State John Kerry has said he hasn’t read the side deal, though his negotiating deputy Wendy Sherman told MSNBC that she “saw the pieces of paper” but couldn’t keep them. IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano has told Members of the U.S. Congress that he’s bound by secrecy and can’t show them the side deals.
In other words, if Congress doesn't reject this with a veto proof majority, they will be accepting a deal that contradicts what they passed earlier so that they can review the deal. This is going to give it an aura of acceptability which it does not deserve.
Of course, this is a great opportunity to shed some light on a shady deal, but don't expect too many people to screaming about it from the rooftops because nobody seems to give a shit.
Cruz has said something. Where are the rest? They should be pounding on this until the vote comes in the Congress.
Update:
Why the side deals are important
This from National Review, which I cited yesterday, and now quote:
the belief of many experts that it is crucial to conclusively resolve the possible military dimensions issue to establish a baseline for verifying the Iran nuclear agreement. Former Department of Energy official William Tobey explained this in a July 15 Wall Street Journal when he wrote “for inspections to be meaningful, Iran would have to completely and correctly declare all its relevant nuclear activities and procurement, past and present.”
...resolving questions about Iran’s past nuclear weapons work and nuclear activity at Parchin were moved to secret side deals between Iran and the IAEA because U.S. negotiators were unable to resolve these issues during the nuclear talks.
and...
efforts by the Obama administration to write off the past “possible military dimensions” of Iran’s nuclear programBut those that claim that the inspections are meaningful need to know these details at Parchin in order for the inspections to be as meaningful as they claim. In other words, Obama is comfortable with meaningless inspections. Why? To create a sense of false security?
Update:
One more point. The AP story cannot be proven or disproven as to details because we cannot see the documents. These documents were required by law and could answer the question definitively, so how the hell do the supporters of the deal know if the AP story is true or false? They are taking Amano's word for it even though that contradicts what the law that was passed requires, and this law was signed by Obama himself. Why doesn't he enforce it himself then, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?
Thursday, August 20, 2015
The face of America
What a face. It speaks volumes of something that I cannot put my finger on. Could it be sheer incompetence?
Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900, and its aftermath
Time is short, so I have to make this quick. After the hurricane, there were THOUSANDS of dead bodies lying around. These dead bodies were a public health risk, and therefore had to be buried IMMEDIATELY. How did they accomplish this? You can pretty much guarantee that there weren't any volunteers. Nope. They had to be forced to do it at gunpoint. If this wasn't done in a timely manner, the rest of the island's population might well have been wiped out as well.
There's a moral to that story, which is a true story. ( Wish I had a link, but I do have a book, somewhere.)
The moral is that you have to, you HAVE to do things you would rather not for the greater good. If there's nobody willing to do it, SOMEBODY has to take charge and MAKE people do it. Got that?
If it gets to this in the here and now, then we've got a big problem. You'd hope that reason would be able to convince people of the necessity, but if that doesn't work, then something has to happen. Just sayin'.
There's a moral to that story, which is a true story. ( Wish I had a link, but I do have a book, somewhere.)
The moral is that you have to, you HAVE to do things you would rather not for the greater good. If there's nobody willing to do it, SOMEBODY has to take charge and MAKE people do it. Got that?
If it gets to this in the here and now, then we've got a big problem. You'd hope that reason would be able to convince people of the necessity, but if that doesn't work, then something has to happen. Just sayin'.
Obama's sham agreement
It makes sense for him to do something like this. The Iranians get to run their own inspection to find something that they would want to hide? Are you kidding me? Yeah, but it makes sense for a guy like this to agree to a sham like this. This agreement got ZERO. This revelation proves it.
It makes sense that the Democrats will take party loyalty over country. You have a sell out for a president ( being kind and generous here ). Of course, it cannot be understood as being a sell out, so he needs plenty of cover from enough of the other sell outs so he doesn't look too obviously like a sell out.
There is a faction within the Democrat party that cannot work for the good of the country. ( again, being quite generous here) What do you do about this?
The GOP decides to give in to it. Therein lies the problem with the entire society. You get a faction of sell outs, and there's no accountability.
What's going to happen to Hillary? Probably not a thing. Nothing ever is done about anything.
Maybe the next time the terrorists will nuke DC and New York. It will be Bush's fault if they do, of course.
Update:
I think this correlates well with a previous post. At the very least, people in responsible positions should put duty before self. Otherwise, they should be removed forcibly from their positions. They HAVE to be, or there won't be any more country.
Update ( 6 PM Thurs. )
Included the time stamp because of this moment, the left has attacked the AP report and National Review has written an article that supports AP that was time stamped at 4:30 PM.
Since 4:30 is nearly the end of a day, I suspect that the left's attempt to discredit the AP story has failed.
more...
I've written about a theory of how a runaway government can be brought back into line. However, it may not have the strictest attention to law, and that is what is being defended.
The question is open then... what do you do about a runaway federal government? Evidently, a Constitutional Convention is just too radical for some, but there has to be some way to discipline a wayward government.
In Texas before it won its independence from Mexico, there were Protest Conventions. If a Protest Convention were held, would anybody attend? If not, then why not? What do you do about this government?
A full constitutional convention could be held in reserve if the Congress failed to act expeditiously with respect to the concerns of the people of the states.
It makes sense that the Democrats will take party loyalty over country. You have a sell out for a president ( being kind and generous here ). Of course, it cannot be understood as being a sell out, so he needs plenty of cover from enough of the other sell outs so he doesn't look too obviously like a sell out.
There is a faction within the Democrat party that cannot work for the good of the country. ( again, being quite generous here) What do you do about this?
The GOP decides to give in to it. Therein lies the problem with the entire society. You get a faction of sell outs, and there's no accountability.
What's going to happen to Hillary? Probably not a thing. Nothing ever is done about anything.
Maybe the next time the terrorists will nuke DC and New York. It will be Bush's fault if they do, of course.
Update:
I think this correlates well with a previous post. At the very least, people in responsible positions should put duty before self. Otherwise, they should be removed forcibly from their positions. They HAVE to be, or there won't be any more country.
Update ( 6 PM Thurs. )
Included the time stamp because of this moment, the left has attacked the AP report and National Review has written an article that supports AP that was time stamped at 4:30 PM.
Since 4:30 is nearly the end of a day, I suspect that the left's attempt to discredit the AP story has failed.
more...
I've written about a theory of how a runaway government can be brought back into line. However, it may not have the strictest attention to law, and that is what is being defended.
The question is open then... what do you do about a runaway federal government? Evidently, a Constitutional Convention is just too radical for some, but there has to be some way to discipline a wayward government.
In Texas before it won its independence from Mexico, there were Protest Conventions. If a Protest Convention were held, would anybody attend? If not, then why not? What do you do about this government?
A full constitutional convention could be held in reserve if the Congress failed to act expeditiously with respect to the concerns of the people of the states.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Home again, 8/19/15
Just saw on Instapundit a little article about being over 60 and offering advice. Somehow, this attracts my ego. Hey, I made it to 60! Watcha know 'bout that? It ain't guaranteed that you'll make it, ya know. Some folks didn't think I would. But here I is!
I've already given on this here blog the best advice I can think of--- learn to laugh at yourself. For me, that was quite an undertaking and/or revelation. I just realized now that I'm nowhere near as good at it as I think I am. Part b of that advice is that you never know as much about something as you think you know. Be humble, be aware that you don't know every damn thing about every damn thing.
One thing that this may give you is some thicker skin. Often quite handy in a world full of sharp elbows.
I've already given on this here blog the best advice I can think of--- learn to laugh at yourself. For me, that was quite an undertaking and/or revelation. I just realized now that I'm nowhere near as good at it as I think I am. Part b of that advice is that you never know as much about something as you think you know. Be humble, be aware that you don't know every damn thing about every damn thing.
One thing that this may give you is some thicker skin. Often quite handy in a world full of sharp elbows.
Quick thought before I go, 8/19/15
An old high school pal was discussing his divorce recently on his blog. The thought ran through my mind--- Is it better to be good, or to be happy? That is to say, if there's something that will make you unhappy to do, but morally better, should you choose the goodness over the happiness?
That's how we get the society we have now. People choose being happy over being good. I think that observation is probably correct in all too many cases. Certainly, that what appears to be what my high school chum's wife did.
My parents were not happy, if you judge by the number of fights they had. But they stuck together out of a sense of duty to the family.
Ah, the good old days... dead and gone.
That's how we get the society we have now. People choose being happy over being good. I think that observation is probably correct in all too many cases. Certainly, that what appears to be what my high school chum's wife did.
My parents were not happy, if you judge by the number of fights they had. But they stuck together out of a sense of duty to the family.
Ah, the good old days... dead and gone.
Obligatory, 8/19/15
The little bit of writing about the new propulsion system has gone about as far as it can go. Really can't do anything with the idea, so it just remains an idea. Perhaps someone else can do it, or will do it. It's really not all that different from existing ideas.
I have my own moon shot, so to speak, and it appears to be more of a challenge all the time. I suppose it is possible that I can make a trip out there on Labor Day weekend in order to determine how my little shack held up over the past 4 months. If the wind didn't blow it down, it could be a really good sign. An idea struck me to beef it up a little using concrete cloths. You put the cloth down on top of the tarp, and then spray some water over it. When it dries, the concrete sets and becomes a hardened surface. Substantially more durable than the tarp, I'd say.
Do I order it now so that I have it on my trip? Or should I wait? If I order it, it means that I expect the structure to still be standing and worth working on. If I am too optimistic about that, then buying the cloth is just another expense that I can do without.
While I'm thinking about this, here's the picture so far: The plan is to put a camper shell on the van, and use this as my "coffin", which will be well insulated against the heat and cold. I will sleep in it, and maybe use it as a resting place during a work day out there. The little shack can be used for activities that I cannot do in the van, such as taking a shower. It may be even useful as kitchen, but maybe that's not so good if it is to be a bathroom too. I'm going to use a microwave oven for my cooking. No need for propane.
I'd like to finish the canopy, but that project appears to be on hold as I consider the trouble I had with the wind. If the concrete cloths go well, then perhaps a super quonset can be used as a canopy. It's going to have to be tall to accommodate the van with a camper shell on top. If I can build the canopy, then the van will have protection from the sun. Lots easier to climate control it in the summer, don't you know.
The idea right now is not to work out there all the time, but to alternate between the city and the country. I can make some money for Uber in the city, then come out to the country and do a little gardening for saving a bit on food.
So, there's the moonshot for now. The plan is there, but will it work? I guess we'll find out.
I have my own moon shot, so to speak, and it appears to be more of a challenge all the time. I suppose it is possible that I can make a trip out there on Labor Day weekend in order to determine how my little shack held up over the past 4 months. If the wind didn't blow it down, it could be a really good sign. An idea struck me to beef it up a little using concrete cloths. You put the cloth down on top of the tarp, and then spray some water over it. When it dries, the concrete sets and becomes a hardened surface. Substantially more durable than the tarp, I'd say.
Do I order it now so that I have it on my trip? Or should I wait? If I order it, it means that I expect the structure to still be standing and worth working on. If I am too optimistic about that, then buying the cloth is just another expense that I can do without.
While I'm thinking about this, here's the picture so far: The plan is to put a camper shell on the van, and use this as my "coffin", which will be well insulated against the heat and cold. I will sleep in it, and maybe use it as a resting place during a work day out there. The little shack can be used for activities that I cannot do in the van, such as taking a shower. It may be even useful as kitchen, but maybe that's not so good if it is to be a bathroom too. I'm going to use a microwave oven for my cooking. No need for propane.
I'd like to finish the canopy, but that project appears to be on hold as I consider the trouble I had with the wind. If the concrete cloths go well, then perhaps a super quonset can be used as a canopy. It's going to have to be tall to accommodate the van with a camper shell on top. If I can build the canopy, then the van will have protection from the sun. Lots easier to climate control it in the summer, don't you know.
The idea right now is not to work out there all the time, but to alternate between the city and the country. I can make some money for Uber in the city, then come out to the country and do a little gardening for saving a bit on food.
So, there's the moonshot for now. The plan is there, but will it work? I guess we'll find out.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
A short commentary upon the news
I don't give a shit.
That struck me as funny, but something tells me that most people won't be amused.
Trump won't win the women's vote, so all this is academic. Yet, everyone is talking about Trump.
Black lives matter? A good comeback to that would be--- " so all of you people should stop killing each other, right?"
Obama is going to go after the methane emissions. He said he would lower the sea levels. I think he meant that he would sink the USA.
Perhaps the following may tickle your funny bone. Note the "news of the future" done in the late sixties. It may surprise you a bit.
That struck me as funny, but something tells me that most people won't be amused.
Trump won't win the women's vote, so all this is academic. Yet, everyone is talking about Trump.
Black lives matter? A good comeback to that would be--- " so all of you people should stop killing each other, right?"
Obama is going to go after the methane emissions. He said he would lower the sea levels. I think he meant that he would sink the USA.
Perhaps the following may tickle your funny bone. Note the "news of the future" done in the late sixties. It may surprise you a bit.
Obligatory, 8/18/15
I'm having troubles again. This is not helpful. What can I say. Even my doctor says I'm getting old. Yeah, tell me about it.
It may be necessary for a doctor's visit, but I'd rather not. The recent blood tests gave me a new visit time of six months, or so I was told. I inquired and asked from what date? She said "now". I thought that would be too much time.
If I can hold out until late next month, I'll go then. The heck with what that girl said.
It may be necessary for a doctor's visit, but I'd rather not. The recent blood tests gave me a new visit time of six months, or so I was told. I inquired and asked from what date? She said "now". I thought that would be too much time.
If I can hold out until late next month, I'll go then. The heck with what that girl said.
Monday, August 17, 2015
An idea for a thruster for space exploration
Speculation alert:
The idea of using a VASIMIR for a thruster as opposed to a solar sail got me to thinking about using some other idea besides that one.
This idea comes from the study of the Polywell fusion idea, which confines electrons as opposed to confining positively charged particles, which have a mass over a thousand times greater. In other words, confining electrons is a lot easier, and can be done in a smaller machine.
Not that I am interested in doing fusion here. Nope. The idea is to use electrons for thrust as opposed to positively charged ions as in the Polywell concept for fusion. The reason being that it would be a lot easier to accelerate the electrons to near relativistic speeds and then eject them for thrust as opposed to ejecting positively charged ions, which are a lot harder to handle due to the heat required.
The mass of an electron is 1/1836 th that of a proton. To eject that mass at near relativistic speed should yield some thrust, I would say. Plus the ISP would be quite high, which should yield an interesting little thruster that should be quite economical.
ISP is calculated thusly:
ISP equals average exhaust speed/ gravitation constant
Now, in the FEL design, the effective velocity could be close to the speed of light ( very close ), which is 299,792,458 m / s , then ISP equals about 1/10th of this since the gravitation constant is about 10 m/s, so
it would be 29979245.8 or 29,979,246!!!
Since thrust is equal to mass flow rate times ISP, then we can calculate the equivalent of 1 mole of hydrogen atoms divided by 1836, which is the mass of an electron, which means dividing by maybe 2 million or so, which yields something like 150 newtons. I'm not sure if the calcs are right, but the thrust is in the ballpark of what the VASIMIR gets. Actually, quite a bit more.
In other words, conceptually, it might work if you can put your device into space and get that many electrons moving at that speed. Of course, that may be an engineering challenge, but I'm not sure about that one either, hence the speculation alert.
Update:
I've been thinking about this one a lot today. It is beginning to appear that this is probably an impractical idea. Rats.
Update:
Running through the rocket equation assuming an ISP of 29 million ( that may be wrong ), the amount of propellant needed would only be 330 grams for 2.1 delta v. You would need a little over 600 kg of hydrogen from which you would obtain the electrons. By the way, it would transport 100k pounds at that delta v. This leaves a payload fraction of 99%! Great if you can do it.
The machine that accelerate the electrons to near light speed will have to be able to process a LOT of electrons. It would also take a very long time to thrust before you would see much acceleration. 246k electron volts. That sounds like it would be too much.
Update:
The previous paragraph had to be corrected-- I added a "k" to the "246 electron volts" for clarification.
This method of propulsion has caught my fancy just a bit. I googled how to accelerate electrons and found an article that says that a new way to do this was found in 2013. The new way, which uses lasers, may be able to reach new light speed in a table top device. If so, this may work in a propulsion system. (Maybe)
The idea of using a VASIMIR for a thruster as opposed to a solar sail got me to thinking about using some other idea besides that one.
This idea comes from the study of the Polywell fusion idea, which confines electrons as opposed to confining positively charged particles, which have a mass over a thousand times greater. In other words, confining electrons is a lot easier, and can be done in a smaller machine.
Not that I am interested in doing fusion here. Nope. The idea is to use electrons for thrust as opposed to positively charged ions as in the Polywell concept for fusion. The reason being that it would be a lot easier to accelerate the electrons to near relativistic speeds and then eject them for thrust as opposed to ejecting positively charged ions, which are a lot harder to handle due to the heat required.
The mass of an electron is 1/1836 th that of a proton. To eject that mass at near relativistic speed should yield some thrust, I would say. Plus the ISP would be quite high, which should yield an interesting little thruster that should be quite economical.
ISP is calculated thusly:
ISP equals average exhaust speed/ gravitation constant
Now, in the FEL design, the effective velocity could be close to the speed of light ( very close ), which is 299,792,458 m / s , then ISP equals about 1/10th of this since the gravitation constant is about 10 m/s, so
it would be 29979245.8 or 29,979,246!!!
Since thrust is equal to mass flow rate times ISP, then we can calculate the equivalent of 1 mole of hydrogen atoms divided by 1836, which is the mass of an electron, which means dividing by maybe 2 million or so, which yields something like 150 newtons. I'm not sure if the calcs are right, but the thrust is in the ballpark of what the VASIMIR gets. Actually, quite a bit more.
In other words, conceptually, it might work if you can put your device into space and get that many electrons moving at that speed. Of course, that may be an engineering challenge, but I'm not sure about that one either, hence the speculation alert.
Update:
I've been thinking about this one a lot today. It is beginning to appear that this is probably an impractical idea. Rats.
Update:
Running through the rocket equation assuming an ISP of 29 million ( that may be wrong ), the amount of propellant needed would only be 330 grams for 2.1 delta v. You would need a little over 600 kg of hydrogen from which you would obtain the electrons. By the way, it would transport 100k pounds at that delta v. This leaves a payload fraction of 99%! Great if you can do it.
The machine that accelerate the electrons to near light speed will have to be able to process a LOT of electrons. It would also take a very long time to thrust before you would see much acceleration. 246k electron volts. That sounds like it would be too much.
Update:
The previous paragraph had to be corrected-- I added a "k" to the "246 electron volts" for clarification.
This method of propulsion has caught my fancy just a bit. I googled how to accelerate electrons and found an article that says that a new way to do this was found in 2013. The new way, which uses lasers, may be able to reach new light speed in a table top device. If so, this may work in a propulsion system. (Maybe)
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Mining that 20 trillion dollar rock in space ( mining an asteroid part XXVIII)
Previous
One of the ideas I had was along the line indicated by the title of this post.
When I left off with that series, I came up with an idea of using an Iron Man suit for life support. This suit would reduce the weight requirements, as the shielding would only cover the human body, which is much smaller than an entire spacecraft. You could get pretty good shielding for relatively little weight.
Now, another idea popped up. Instead of using a space sail, use a VASIMIR concept. This would require a large solar array, which could be built like the solar sail mentioned in the series. This would be much, much smaller in scope, however, and therefore, much easier to build. You could build one that would capture up to 90% of the heat energy being lost, and then recycle it again and again in order to give a multiplier effect.
Let's say you can recycle 90% of the energy lost through heat.
After one pass through, you've got 90% left. The second would have 90% of the 90%. The third would have 90% of the 81%, and so on and so on.
So, and equation could be derived from this relation:
x+ .9x + .81x + .729x + 0.6561x + 0.59049x + 0.531441x + 0.4782969x + 0.43046721x+0.387420489x+0.3486784401x+0.31381059609x+0.282429536481x+0.2541865828329x+0.2287679245496x+0.205891132094649x+0.1853020188851841x+0.16677181699666569x+0.150094635296999121x+0.1350851717672992089x+0.12157665459056928801x+0.109418989131512359209x, which equal to approx 9 times.
Thats about 10 times x minus 1. If y is the percentage amount remaining after one pass through, then, we obtain the generalized equation 1/y, where y is less than 1. Thus, 1/.9 equals 9.
You would layer some thermoelectric devices around it and pass the coolant through enough layers to obtain the amount that would be recycled. If the coolant is a gas, it would have to pass through several layers, grabbing off a piece at each layer. If it were a molten-salt, it would grab off a piece, then shunt the liquid to the next layer to be utilized with the layered thermoelectric devices until the cooling down is complete. You could have many, many layers. In space, this may present difficulties as there is no gravity. You could spin the device, and that would shunt the materials through each layer.
Therefore, with a solar electric array that generated 1 megawatt of power, you could multiply that by 9 in order to get 9 megawatts of power. This could get a vehicle to Mars in a relatively short time.
But you could also get to that asteroid you are trying to mine. Maybe you could start with Deimos.
Update:
A possible better idea for a thruster? It is a continuation of this discussion on to the next post. I wanted to link these together.
One of the ideas I had was along the line indicated by the title of this post.
When I left off with that series, I came up with an idea of using an Iron Man suit for life support. This suit would reduce the weight requirements, as the shielding would only cover the human body, which is much smaller than an entire spacecraft. You could get pretty good shielding for relatively little weight.
Now, another idea popped up. Instead of using a space sail, use a VASIMIR concept. This would require a large solar array, which could be built like the solar sail mentioned in the series. This would be much, much smaller in scope, however, and therefore, much easier to build. You could build one that would capture up to 90% of the heat energy being lost, and then recycle it again and again in order to give a multiplier effect.
Let's say you can recycle 90% of the energy lost through heat.
After one pass through, you've got 90% left. The second would have 90% of the 90%. The third would have 90% of the 81%, and so on and so on.
So, and equation could be derived from this relation:
x+ .9x + .81x + .729x + 0.6561x + 0.59049x + 0.531441x + 0.4782969x + 0.43046721x+0.387420489x+0.3486784401x+0.31381059609x+0.282429536481x+0.2541865828329x+0.2287679245496x+0.205891132094649x+0.1853020188851841x+0.16677181699666569x+0.150094635296999121x+0.1350851717672992089x+0.12157665459056928801x+0.109418989131512359209x, which equal to approx 9 times.
Thats about 10 times x minus 1. If y is the percentage amount remaining after one pass through, then, we obtain the generalized equation 1/y, where y is less than 1. Thus, 1/.9 equals 9.
You would layer some thermoelectric devices around it and pass the coolant through enough layers to obtain the amount that would be recycled. If the coolant is a gas, it would have to pass through several layers, grabbing off a piece at each layer. If it were a molten-salt, it would grab off a piece, then shunt the liquid to the next layer to be utilized with the layered thermoelectric devices until the cooling down is complete. You could have many, many layers. In space, this may present difficulties as there is no gravity. You could spin the device, and that would shunt the materials through each layer.
Therefore, with a solar electric array that generated 1 megawatt of power, you could multiply that by 9 in order to get 9 megawatts of power. This could get a vehicle to Mars in a relatively short time.
But you could also get to that asteroid you are trying to mine. Maybe you could start with Deimos.
Update:
A possible better idea for a thruster? It is a continuation of this discussion on to the next post. I wanted to link these together.
Obligatory, 8/16/15
Holy cow. I only did the one post yesterday. Hopefully, I will do more today. Going into the weekend, I thought I might work a full day on Saturday and Sunday, now it looks like I put in only part of Saturday, and nothing on Sunday.
I came home to "retool", but ended up calling it a day yesterday. Too late of a start for today, so it is also a scrub.
Why not more posts? My back. I don't want to sit, and I have to sit in order to do posts. I regret the lack of posts, but I wasn't up to it yesterday. Maybe not that much today, either.
Hopefully, I can be back to work tomorrow. I've missed a lot of work, lately.
I came home to "retool", but ended up calling it a day yesterday. Too late of a start for today, so it is also a scrub.
Why not more posts? My back. I don't want to sit, and I have to sit in order to do posts. I regret the lack of posts, but I wasn't up to it yesterday. Maybe not that much today, either.
Hopefully, I can be back to work tomorrow. I've missed a lot of work, lately.
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