Island 3 is a cylinder of 3 or 6 Km radius that spin enought to produce
a centrifugal force similar a G: 9'8 m/s
The Sun Light enter through the windows, from mirrors located in a
structure tilted about 30 degrees, as long as the cylinder.
How strong is the centrifugal force in the extreme of the mirrors?.
The radius of spin is much more than the radius of cylinder. Can the
mirrors suport his own weight?
> Island 3 is a cylinder of 3 or 6 Km radius that spin enought to
> produce
> a centrifugal force similar a G: 9'8 m/s
> The Sun Light enter through the windows, from mirrors located in a
> structure tilted about 30 degrees, as long as the cylinder.
>
> My question is:
> How strong is the centrifugal force in the extreme of the mirrors?.
>
Best,
- Joe
But if the mirror dont spin how is that they track the windows?
> But if the mirror dont spin how is that they track the windows?
the Island 3 design the mirrors would have to spin with the habitat,
and would experience a force much greater than 1 G.
Best,
- Joe
The recent designs aims to artificial ilumination, I m wrong?
revisa mi Blog!: http://lacuevadellobo.blogspot.com/
> The recent designs aims to artificial ilumination, I m wrong?
artificial illumination -- lights (especially OLED technology, for
example) have gotten substantially more efficient than in the days of
O'Neill, and they can substantially reduce the amount of waste heat
you have to get rid of, especially in agricultural areas. To me,
designing your whole habitat around giant windows or convoluted light
paths is like using long rotary cranks to get rotational motion from
the power plant to (say) your washing machine, just to avoid
converting from rotation to electricity and back to rotation.
But others have a different view (and can probably best represent that
view themselves).
Best,
- Joe
Joe Strout
joe@...
Words of wisdom from Helen Philpot:
http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/maverick-my-ass/>
>
> > But if the mirror dont spin how is that they track the windows?
>
> Oops, sorry, I was thinking of a different design. You're right, in
> the Island 3 design the mirrors would have to spin with the habitat,
> and would experience a force much greater than 1 G.
Some critic in Whole Earth Catalog's "Space Colonies" makes the point that if Island 3's mirrors sag even slightly, they're useless as planar mirrors. For that reason, I don't put much faith in space habitat designs where the mirrors rotate with the habitat. I have no doubt that cylinders at the scale of Island 3 will be built someday, but will be surprised if it's with the mirror configuration of the existing design. And as Joe reminds us, there are habitat designs where the mirrors don't rotate with the habitat. This design might work with cylinders at the diameter, if not the length, of Island 3: http://ssi.org/assets/images/Ch06p086.gif http://ssi.org/assets/images/Ch06p088.gif
Mike Combs
Free floating solar collectors need only convert the incoming radiation to electricity, then transfer it to the colony via micro waves. With no physical connection, the mirrors can go their own way, independent of the colony.
> Free floating solar collectors need only convert the incoming radiation to electricity, > then transfer it to the colony via micro waves. With no physical connection, the > mirrors can go their own way, independent of the colony.
Regards,
Mike Combs
Yes, but we still end up with a mechanical connection to a rotating body and that introduces drag on the mirror for which we must correct. Perhaps if we can use the earth mag field inductance or a massive tether to maintain the mirror orientation, that would work. ( By massive I don't necessarily mean large,,,)
> Yes, but we still end up with a mechanical connection to a rotating > body and that introduces drag on the mirror for which we must correct. True, but with reasonably well designed bearings, those forces would be relatively small. Between the technical challenges of a small electric motor making up frictional losses, and keeping mirrors miles across and under multiple G loads of centrifugal force from sagging even slightly anywhere across their surfaces, the former is the easier challenge.
Mike Combs