Search found 267 matches
- Thu Jul 29, 2010 12:34 am
- Forum: General
- Topic: High Speed Rail
- Replies: 37
- Views: 13505
Hmmm... use existing track and switching systems... hovercraft efficiencies over steel wheels on rails depend on smooth surfaces... alternating railway ties and gravel ballast ain't exactly the poster child for smooth surfaces... beats barnacles, though... hovering on air cushions over the rails the...
- Wed Jul 28, 2010 11:54 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: NewSpace 2010: Polywell and Vasimr
- Replies: 149
- Views: 53917
As to why the concept has legs despite the quite possibly insurmountable challenges... With a space elevator, materials might be sent into orbit at a fraction of the current cost. As of 2000, conventional rocket designs cost about $11,000 per pound ($25,000 per kilogram) for transfer to geostationa...
- Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:09 am
- Forum: General
- Topic: High Speed Rail
- Replies: 37
- Views: 13505
As for hovertrains... what about the noise? People ain't gonna like living near a train track where the trains literally can't turn their horns off. Assuming the noise issue is resolved then the best option would be one that uses existing track systems... which by inference pretty much solves the gu...
- Wed Jul 28, 2010 2:50 am
- Forum: General
- Topic: High Speed Rail
- Replies: 37
- Views: 13505
pro bono promo, so please pardon the spam :) "Code Three" was recently included in the anthology The World Turned Upside Down , put out by Baen Books, which collects SF stories that had a real impact on editors and authors. Baen books http://baen.com Baen's ebook site http://www.webscription.net/ Fr...
- Mon Jul 26, 2010 9:06 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: High Speed Rail
- Replies: 37
- Views: 13505
Ah, yes... HoverBolos :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zubr_class_LCAC Fair the propulsion fans into the hull with propfan tech, swap the cargo for VLS cells, solid-state laser CIWS and heavier armor... and you too can rule the Baltic! :) Or, on a more peaceful note, the hover freighters from Clarke'...
I'm sorry but that will not work. Insufficient quantumivity. What are you talking about? Of course there is enough quantumivity, else what causes the Flachwichsernlung emissions? It depends on whether you're referring to transverse or longitudinal quantumivity (neither of which should be confused w...
- Sun Jul 25, 2010 11:00 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: nerve signals
- Replies: 5
- Views: 2297
If you're using a polywell to power it then size-wise you're talking more about a Jagd Mirage than a standard M.I. suit... a DPF could get you down into the Gundam/ Mortar Headd range, though... But if you swap treads for legs then a DPF could power a large MBT and of course several DPFs or a polywe...
- Thu Jul 22, 2010 2:10 pm
- Forum: News
- Topic: Lawaranceville E-Newsletter
- Replies: 880
- Views: 530190
Hmmm? Where did you read that? Last post from them was about their presentation at ICOPS... http://focusfusion.org/index.php/site/article/lpp_presents_at_icops/ ... and in that post the only item mentioned that could be construed as a "problem" is that some, but not all, of their shots are generatin...
- Tue Jul 20, 2010 8:29 am
- Forum: Design
- Topic: Using atmosphere as propellant
- Replies: 151
- Views: 152800
It all depends on your parameters, of course, but is an arc the best way of transfering MWe to MWt to kN? I'd wonder if, given the known efficiency of impellers in converting MWe to kN, if it might be more efficient to accept the downconversion mass penalty and just use blades until you're going fas...
- Mon Jul 19, 2010 6:02 am
- Forum: Design
- Topic: Magrid Vs electrically biased grid
- Replies: 83
- Views: 44390
- Sat Jul 17, 2010 11:22 pm
- Forum: Design
- Topic: Using atmosphere as propellant
- Replies: 151
- Views: 152800
Yes well, the best study I've seen of this portion of the issue was a study done at AFRL on fusion drives. IIRC, what they were proposing was a trimodal operation where one uses the alphas in all three modes. How did they transition the alphas from vacuum chamber to engine chamber? Or am I in error...
- Sat Jul 17, 2010 5:05 am
- Forum: General
- Topic: 2010:warmest year ever since records began
- Replies: 547
- Views: 102610
The effect is good news for craft in low earth orbit, as a puffed up thermosphere decays satellite orbits quickly. The effect is usually due to UV radiation from the Sun, but the observed collapse is about six times more severe than the Sun's recent quiet behavior can explain. Craft yes. Orbital de...
- Fri Jul 16, 2010 3:37 pm
- Forum: Implications
- Topic: Project FOOF - Declassified!
- Replies: 30
- Views: 50771
Relevant news for polywell deployment in space: Senate Authorization Committee puts forth the Congressional counter to President Obama's FY '11 budget. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1007/15senate/ Essentially skips the Ares I boondoggle, restores Orion to its original deep-space parameters and goe...