Revolutionizing Space Travel: Updates on Man into Space Design

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around innovative concepts for space travel, specifically focusing on a proposed "Man into Space" design that includes an Orbital Tow System, a mobile science space station, and advanced propulsion methods. Participants explore theoretical and practical aspects of these ideas, including the feasibility of towing payloads into orbit and enhancing ion propulsion systems.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes an Orbital Tow System (OTS) that involves towing equipment and people into orbit using a cable and crane mechanism, suggesting it could be a cost-effective method.
  • Concerns are raised about the practicality of connecting a high-speed cable from orbit to a slower-moving object in the atmosphere, questioning the feasibility of such a system.
  • Another participant challenges the idea of improving ion engines, noting that existing technology already accelerates small amounts of mass to high speeds efficiently and suggesting the need for a better understanding of current propulsion systems.
  • The initial poster expresses strong criticism of NASA's current plans, describing them as disrespectful to life and suggesting that their approach to space exploration is flawed.
  • There is a correction regarding the terminology of force application, with one participant asserting that the original poster misunderstands the physics involved in force and acceleration.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants exhibit significant disagreement, particularly regarding the feasibility and understanding of the proposed concepts. There is no consensus on the validity of the ideas presented, and the discussion remains unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in the original poster's understanding of existing technologies and principles of physics, indicating a potential gap in knowledge that affects the discussion.

funniew
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Man Into Space -- Update

Update On my Ideas for Man into space.

I'm adding Orbital Tow System to my design of space program. Basically, OTS is a system of towing equipment and people into orbit. It works like this. People and equipment are flown to high altitude. A tow cable will be injected from orbiting Space Tow and attached to cabin pressurized if people onboard. Then a crane hoist payload up into orbit aboard station. This is cheap and doable. For some things a simple balloon can be used and for heavier payloads a suborbital space plane will be used.

The space station will be a mobile science space station. By mobile it means the station will be able to move about the solar system to mercury or far out as pluto. For power it will be equipped with 4 nuclear powerplants similar to those used on submarines each for a particular subsystem. Also, similar to aircraft each with backup system.

Propulsion System, I gave some thought and I thinking about the vector equation of force;
\emph{Newton's Second Law}\begin{equation}\overrightarrow{\mathbf{F}}=m\overrightarrow{\mathbf{a}}\end{equation}
I assume this means I can generate a large force with a small mass if it is accelerated to high enough degree. So, now I am thinking about proposing a new type of propuslion for my version of space station. I call it railgun accelerator propulsion ion system. I think it can be made small and efficient enough. Basically, the idea is to greatly magnify force of ion engine by increasing it's acceleration of ion output by a very large factor.


Biosupport system will be design for comfort so scientists, engineers, support staff and tourists will have optimum comfort. The water will be manufactured on board from stuff found in space. Initially the moon will be used. To keep cost down a robotic railgun excavating system will landed near a water ice deposit. The robot will assembly itself and begin mining water and launching it into space where it will be retrieved and stored by processing station and converted to fuel and water and transferred to mobile space station. Should not be hard.

The station will have spherical shape and have a thick reflective surface to help deflect radiation. It will also be covered in thick carbon nano-fiber tube skin to tensile strength against micro-meteors. The nano-tube skin will eventually be self repairing for currently will require repairs made by humans. My station, like the greatest rocket scientist in all of history, Dr. Wernher von Braun, will rotate, because as the great Albert Einstein said acceleration is gravity.

That is all for now, I am still refining my concept of space travel because what NASA is planning is on the brink of insanity and highly disrespectful to life! Imagine, destroy a life to discover a microorganism.
 
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funniew said:
... A tow cable will be injected from orbiting Space Tow and attached to cabin pressurized if people onboard. Then a crane hoist payload up into orbit aboard station. ...

A few obvious questions arise:

How do you connect a cable from something which is in orbit, moving at 17,500 mph (nearly 5 miles per second), to something which is in the Earth's atmosphere and moving at only a fraction of that speed (or in the case of a balloon, not moving at all)? If it had humans in it, you'd have to limit the acceleration to something which humans could tolerate, which means a VERY long piece of elastic!

How could that something in orbit pull the other thing into orbit through the Earth's atmosphere without falling out of orbit or needing the same amount of power to keep it up as it would take to launch the other thing anyway?

Unless of course you're talking about the "space elevator" system, where the orbit of the object on the end is so high that it's beyond geostationary to counter the weight of the tether, in which case all you need is a handy length of unobtainium to make the tether, and you can fix it to the ground.

Your comment on improving ion engines also seems odd; the principle of existing ion engines is already that you accelerate small amounts of mass to extremely high speed, producing very high specific impulse using very little propellant, where the electrical energy to accelerate the propellant can be obtained from solar cells. It is possible for ion thrusters to use multiple stages (that is, accelerate the ions in more than one step for additional impulse) and a dual stage design has already been tested.

I think you probably need to learn more about existing technology before you start trying to invent your own.
 


funniew said:
That is all for now, I am still refining my concept of space travel because what NASA is planning is on the brink of insanity and highly disrespectful to life! Imagine, destroy a life to discover a microorganism.

:bugeye:What are you talking about?
 


funniew said:
\emph{Newton's Second Law}\begin{equation}\overrightarrow{\mathbf{F}}=m\overrightarrow{\mathbf{a}}\end{equation}
I assume this means I can generate a large force with a small mass if it is accelerated to high enough degree.

Just in the manner of the way you state this, it is clear that you have no idea what the heck you are talking about.

You do not "generate" a force, you "exert" or "apply" a force." The force is not applied by accelerating an object, but the object will have a rate of acceleration that is proportional to the force exerted on it.

Ah, ferget it. Countdown to locked.
 


Thread locked pending moderation.
 

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