Geoff Mollusc
25th October 2009 - 03:51 AM
QUOTE (light in the tunnel+Oct 24 2009, 01:08 AM)
"I assume you're not talking about a propellor on the moon"
"That way you wouldn't have to carry any electrons in the vehicle."

- serious fuckhead of awesome poppycock.
Brusca
25th October 2009 - 07:36 PM
Hi light in the tunnel
Lunar gravitational energy is only 780 Wh / kg.
If photovoltaic panels weigh 10 kg/m2 then the energy nedeed to go out of the lunar gravitation is about 7.8 Kwh per m2.
If photovoltaic power is 100 W/m2 then the amount of energy is 16.8 kwh after a week, so they surely have 16.8 - 7.8 = 9 Kwh available for kinetic energy(after a week).
If kinetic energy = 1/2 * 10(weight per m2) * v^2 = 9 kwh then v = around 9000 km/h... (after a week)
Obviously I assume that i don't lose energy, however it's a good speed in order to go out of the lunar gravitation rapidly..
H2O
6th November 2009 - 07:31 PM
WRT an electron propulsion system. Would the following be possible?
Once the electrons are expelled they will be traveling parallel to the direction of travel, just in the opposite direction. Could the electrons be then sent through a positively charged tube which would attract them and catch them? The electrons would be colliding with the tube perpendicular to direction of travel and would be radially uniform for a net difference of 0.
qraal
18th November 2009 - 07:22 PM
QUOTE (H2O+Nov 6 2009, 07:31 PM)
WRT an electron propulsion system. Would the following be possible?
Once the electrons are expelled they will be traveling parallel to the direction of travel, just in the opposite direction. Could the electrons be then sent through a positively charged tube which would attract them and catch them? The electrons would be colliding with the tube perpendicular to direction of travel and would be radially uniform for a net difference of 0.
With a net result of zero too. Rockets, including electron rockets, all require the explusion of mass in order to move.
The chief problem with electron rockets is the immense charge they create on the rocket which starts drawing the expelled electrons back towards itself. This is counter-productive.
A common thought is "would the induced charge attract more free electrons so the rocket became self-refuelling?" For a rocket already in motion such electron attraction might allow some electrons to be usefully attracted from the forward direction - BUT there aren't so many free electrons. The ambient plasma of space is neutral - the positive and negative charges balance - and so a net attraction of electrons is also a net repulsion of protons, which creates drag.
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