Nuclear blast-defying plastic that could change the world?

Discuss the technical details of an "open source" community-driven design of a polywell reactor.

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DeltaV
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Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2009 5:05 am

Nuclear blast-defying plastic that could change the world?

Post by DeltaV »

[Copped from NASASpaceFlight.com - Advanced Topics]

The wire attached to the egg in the 2nd link below has me wondering, but if this is for real...

Starlite, the nuclear blast-defying plastic that could change the world

Maurice Ward Starlite The Great Egg test

http://www.mauricewardstarlite.blogspot.com/

chrismb
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Post by chrismb »

I seem to recall this, from years back. A Brit inventor who refused to divulge the secret sauce [other than it contained egg] of some amazing insulating material, for fear of being ripped off. [Sound familar!?]

There was a test in which some US agency - I suppose it was NASA - used a thermal tip with which they test out insulation material. I recall seeing an account in which his material was so effective an insulator that it reflects so much heat back to the tip that it burned out!

Nik
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Location: UK

Took the secret to his grave ??

Post by Nik »

This is almost the stuff of Urban Legend (TM): Seems he was so paranoid about being 'ripped off' that he took the secret to his grave...

FWIW, I think I remember seeing a live demo of this stuff on UK BBC TV's 'Tomorrow's World' tech-news, years ago. It did like it said on the tin...

How it would handle non-oxidising or re-entry plasma conditions, I really don't know...

Betruger
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Post by Betruger »

So he actually died without leaving the recipe. What a complete *******.

DeltaV
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Post by DeltaV »

The formula was known only by Ward and his immediate family, though Pohling-Brown reported that it included 'up to 21 organic polymers and copolymers, and small quantities of ceramics'. 'It was put about that we never wrote it down but that's not true. I just didn't tell anybody.'
When did he die?

Betruger
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Post by Betruger »

This year according to Wikipedia, and judging by the suddenness of his re-popularity with zero new developments to discuss, it might be very recent.

Giorgio
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Location: China, Italy

Post by Giorgio »

If the recipe is known by his family I hope they do not follow the same idiotic steps as he did.

TallDave
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Post by TallDave »

n*kBolt*Te = B**2/(2*mu0) and B^.25 loss scaling? Or not so much? Hopefully we'll know soon...

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