Activity for b.Lorenz‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Question	—	Repurposing a reactor from space to surface A colony ship is sent to Enceladus. It has a nuclear reactor to provide power to life support, electric engines etc... Upon arrival, the colonists also need a reactor to melt holes into the ice and to provide power for living. Is it realistically possible that a nuclear rector could be designed to p... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Question	—	Gravitational lenses for focusing giant lasers There is an interstellar civilization somewhere between K2 and K3 and they have managed to build a dozen Nicoll-Dyson beams. These are megastructures which collect the entire power of a star, and pump it into a giant laser. The beams were successfully used to destroy their enemies, and to perform s... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	Dyson sphere with mirrors What would happen if the entire inner surface of a Dyson sphere (not necessarily a solid shell, maybe a very dense swarm) would be coated into a highly reflective material? Let's say it can reflect 99.9% at all wavelengths. Would it cook the star in its own light? (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	Man-powered spacecraft for sport While the colonization of the Solar system is underway, a new sport emerges: Spatial Rowing. The rules are the following: Each spacecraft has one driver (the contestant) The loaded mass of each spacecraft (defined as rest mass including the driver, its spacesuit, and the propellant) may not exceed... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	Drilling a tunnel into the core of Mimas I was told that building a tunnel into the centre of Enceladus is not possible, since it has subsurface ocean and molten, rocky core. But its brother, Mimas is a bit smaller, and shows no sign of geological activity. (is probably solid inside) This makes the moon less interesting, but perhaps would ... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	Drilling a tunnel into the core of Enceladus The extreme pressure and temperature greatly reduces our ability to drill holes deeper than some kilometers into Earth's mantle. However, on a body smaller, colder and less dense, this would be a significantly easier task. Could a human-supporting tunnel be built into the centre of Enceladus (Satur... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	Can midcourse flip pose danger at relativistic speeds? Consider an interstellar spaceship. It is a rather classical design, somewhat similar to the ISS Venture Star from Avatar: http://james-camerons-avatar.wikia.com/wiki/InterstellarVehicleVentureStar Although it is not in tractor configuration. The ship is very long and skinny. At the nose there is... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	Alternative for magnetic boots In many sci-fi settings magnetic boots are used to help astronauts walk in microgravity. However, not all materials are ferromagnetic. Titanium, aluminum, the most form of carbon and silica can not be magnetized. And these would make up the surface of the most spaceships and asteroids. (except nickel... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	Space colonization becoming economically recoverable One of the big problems by manned space exploration and colonization, that it's insanely expensive. Building a colony on other celestial bodies - since it's impractical to bring back the acquired resources to Earth - is surely a lossmaking enterprise, and therefore must be funded from the profit of o... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	Can jets from rotating astronomical bodies be used for relativistic acceleration? Compact, rapidly rotating astronomical objects (like neutron stars) are often observed to emit streams of high energy particle radiation along their poles. Near supermassive black holes in galactic cores, the velocity of these jets can reach 0.99c. Could such a jet be used to accelerate an intergal... (more)	—	almost 8 years ago
Question	—	Aristotelian physics Would Aristotelian natural philosophy, with planets and Sun orbiting the Earth, and forces needed to maintain motion Things having natural places and desiring to reach it horror vacui Four elements build an usable base for a fantasy world? (more)	—	almost 8 years ago