Science
16 Nov 10
16 Nov 10
3 edits
Originally posted by AThousandYoungWho knows? The 735 K average surface temperature is a bit of a bummer though, not to mention the sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid clouds. Gotta love this quote from Wikipedia:
Could solar power generators absorbing the incoming sunlight allow us to terraform Venus?
The surface of Venus is often said to resemble Hell.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus#Atmosphere_and_climate)
Interesting article on possible colonization of Venus though, floating cities!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization_of_Venus
17 Nov 10
Originally posted by KazetNagorraAs the Moon has no atmosphere, nor magnetic fields, any humans on surface is at a constant risque of the high-velocity particle stream from the Sun, the solar wind. One way to remedy this is to live under the ground. Not very funny.
Mars and the Moon seem a little more human-friendly than Venus. The Moon is said to contain some ice, which means you can get water and oxygen provided you have some means of getting power (solar/nuclear).
17 Nov 10
Originally posted by FabianFnasYes, you'd have to live in bunkers. Doesn't seem that big of a deal though, at least compared to the other technical difficulties.
As the Moon has no atmosphere, nor magnetic fields, any humans on surface is at a constant risque of the high-velocity particle stream from the Sun, the solar wind. One way to remedy this is to live under the ground. Not very funny.
17 Nov 10
Originally posted by KazetNagorraNot much of terraforming Luna.
Yes, you'd have to live in bunkers. Doesn't seem that big of a deal though, at least compared to the other technical difficulties.
Terraforming Venus is an enterprise to big for our engineers.
Mars is the best candidate of terraforming this far.
17 Nov 10
Originally posted by KazetNagorraIt would probably even be significantly safer than living on the surface when it comes to the air problem too. You cant accidentally break a window and loose all your air in seconds when living in a bunker.
Yes, you'd have to live in bunkers. Doesn't seem that big of a deal though, at least compared to the other technical difficulties.
17 Nov 10
2 edits
Originally posted by AThousandYoungMirrors would be cheaper. Simply painting it white might make a considerable difference. You might even get some advertising revenue out of it (paint your logo in white).
Could solar power generators absorbing the incoming sunlight allow us to terraform Venus?
17 Nov 10
Originally posted by twhiteheadactually what you see at venus are tzhe clouds, so painting won`t do the job I presum. The pount would be to direct the ice blocks to Venus at a good angle to get a her a bit off the sun.
Mirrors would be cheaper. Simply painting it white might make a considerable difference. You might even get some advertising revenue out of it (paint your logo in white).
23 Nov 10
Originally posted by FabianFnasSuperconducting coils kilometers across will solve the problem of incoming solar ions.
As the Moon has no atmosphere, nor magnetic fields, any humans on surface is at a constant risque of the high-velocity particle stream from the Sun, the solar wind. One way to remedy this is to live under the ground. Not very funny.
That technology has already been worked out on paper at least. There are also designs that use that same technology on a smaller scale to shield spacecraft.
Picture this: around the lunar equator, a few turns of superconducting line, buried where the temperature is already lower than that of the high temperature superconductors already used making a magnetic field similar to Earth but around the whole moon. That would shield the whole planet and the magnetic field generated by starting a current flow would maintain itself with no further input of energy. A permanent superconductive magnet.
23 Nov 10
1 edit
Originally posted by sonhouseInteresting idea! How about neutral particles, like neutrons, in the solar wind?
Superconducting coils kilometers across will solve the problem of incoming solar ions.
That technology has already been worked out on paper at least. There are also designs that use that same technology on a smaller scale to shield spacecraft.
Picture this: around the lunar equator, a few turns of superconducting line, buried where the temperature is a ...[text shortened]... flow would maintain itself with no further input of energy. A permanent superconductive magnet.
The inside of the Moon is not so cold, is it? I could guess at a minimum something like minus 20 centigrades, probably warmer.
23 Nov 10
Originally posted by sonhouseI never thought of that. Does this mean that some parts of Canada can already use superconductors without the need for refrigeration equipment?
..... buried where the temperature is already lower than that of the high temperature superconductors already used ....
25 Nov 10
2 edits
Originally posted by FabianFnasNo help for neutrals of course. Fortunately there aren't that many of them. It was just a guess of mine about the sub lunar soil temp though. It would be great if it was like 120 degrees K, where the high temp stuff would work. Not sure how much energy it would take to keep something that is now at -20 C down to 120 K. The energy for the coils would only be needed once, thereafter self sustaining. The temperature problem is another story.
Interesting idea! How about neutral particles, like neutrons, in the solar wind?
The inside of the Moon is not so cold, is it? I could guess at a minimum something like minus 20 centigrades, probably warmer.
I once wrote about the trans-lunar railway, do you remember that tale? The idea that a railway built around the lunar equator could sustain a train that would be roofed with solar cells, traveling forever around the moon at about 16 km/hr taking on passengers and letting off, freight and such.
My new idea is to combine the railway, self powered, a mile long, generating about 50 megawatts, can feed power to refrigeration units, properly redundant units for safety and such to maintain aforementioned super sized coil. I know a bit about cryopumps needed for such a job and I don't think 50 megawatts would do it.
I guess if you could use properly insulated tubing, like long thermos bottles or the like, maybe aerogel insulation (one cm of that stuff is equal to 1 meter of fiberglass), it would seem fixed solar cells would be needed every few km.
For sure the total power draw would be way over 50 megawatts.