At http://www.nuclearfusionpower.us/blog/ I put up a very simple idea for distilling an asteroid. I was thinking about one of the problems that needs some research/simulation done for this idea.
When the asteroid is bagged and there is a working gas inside the bag, the spinning asteroid will cause turbulence that is rubbing against the bag wall that has to be compensated for. The control system will maintain the bag orientation with respect to the solar system plane and position with respect to the asteroid by using sets of directional air fans that are inside the bag located at the cardinal points that push against the internal gas. With an infinitely large bag, the gas in the bag would slowly reduce the spin of the asteroid. But since this is not an infinitely large bag there will be a complicated interaction between the asteroid, bag, and control system fans. The goal is to do this in such a way that it is not necessary to have rocket engines to control orientation and position, thereby reducing cost and wasted precious propellant. Assume that the energy for the fans is from an attached solar PV array.
It is also possible that the energy added by the fans will speed up the spinning of the asteroid. It would be an interesting 3D turbulence simulation.
PS I cross posted this to a linkedin.com NSS group.
I'd love to see an animation of this.
What about limiting the movement of the bag attaching it to the asteroid?
Revisa mi Blog!: http://lacuevadellobo.blogspot.com/
Attach large magnets by firing them into the asteroid, then slow the asteroid by magnetic induction from a surrounding "cage". The "cage" then uses that asteroidal kinetic energy to produce ion thrust to stabilize the "cage", plus some energy from solar cells to make up the difference in conversion losses. The asteroid provides most of the energy to slow itself down...
Simple...
>
> At http://www.nuclearfusionpower.us/blog/ I put up a very simple idea
> for distilling an asteroid. I was thinking about one of the problems
> that needs some research/simulation done for this idea.
>
> When the asteroid is bagged and there is a working gas inside the bag,
> the spinning asteroid will cause turbulence that is rubbing against the
> bag wall that has to be compensated for. The control system will
> maintain the bag orientation with respect to the solar system plane and
> position with respect to the asteroid by using sets of directional air
> fans that are*inside *the bag located at the cardinal points that push
> against the internal gas.
>
> With an infinitely large bag, the gas in the bag would slowly reduce the
> spin of the asteroid. But since this is not an infinitely large bag
> there will be a complicated interaction between the asteroid, bag, and
> control system fans. The goal is to do this in such a way that it is
> not necessary to have rocket engines to control orientation and
> position, thereby reducing cost and wasted precious propellant. Assume
> that the energy for the fans is from an attached solar PV array.
>
> It is also possible that the energy added by the fans will speed up the
> spinning of the asteroid. It would be an interesting 3D turbulence
> simulation.
>
> Mitchell James
>
> PS I cross posted this to a linkedin.com NSS group.
>
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The goal is distillation. Which means as the asteroid inside the bag warms up (see blog posting) then various gases will coming off of the asteroid and be captured. The containing bag does not touch the asteroid. The containment structure needs to remain despun. Only the asteroid is spinning inside the bag.
Mitch
Revisa mi Blog!: http://lacuevadellobo.blogspot.com/
That is why I wrote this post. I would like somebody to do a multiphysics simulation/analysis.
Mitch
.
A few problems here.
The distance between the "cage" and the magnets for any arbitrary shaped asteroid like a dumbbell would make it difficult to generate any electric current. Magnetics fields don't extend very far since they are really on their way to the other end of the magnet. The magnetic fields would never make it to the cage and hence no magnetic force on the wire to move electrons.
The distillation process is going to cause the asteroid to come apart at the seams. Not useful for trying to keep something attached.
Mitch
Attach large magnets by firing them into the asteroid, then slow the asteroid by magnetic induction from a surrounding "cage". The "cage" then uses that asteroidal kinetic energy to produce ion thrust to stabilize the "cage", plus some energy from solar cells to make up the difference in conversion losses. The asteroid provides most of the energy to slow itself down...
Magnetic field intensity declines as the inverse square of the distance between the magnet and the field coils of the cage. That could be a few inches (at the closest approach of the traveling edge of the asteroid) to whatever number of meters one determines is safest. The further they are apart and the weaker the magnets, the less inductance in the coils.
I have no idea what material you intend to use for your "bag". "Evaporating" your asteroid will require energy input(those molecules and atoms aren't going to move just for the fun of it) and that much energy is also going to effect your bag, especially as those molecules impact it and transfer energy to it.
Gary
The distance between the "cage" and the magnets for any arbitrary shaped asteroid like a dumbbell would make it difficult to generate any electric current. Magnetics fields don't extend very far since they are really on their way to the other end of the magnet. The magnetic fields would never make it to the cage and hence no magnetic force on the wire to move electrons.
The major problem the distillation by bagging avoids is attaching to the surface of an asteroid of unknown consistency and surface: piles of rubble, centimeters of fine particles, etc. Attaching magnets would make the distillation by bagging no better than any other attach and work on the surface scheme.
The distillation process is going to cause the asteroid to come apart at the seams. Not useful for trying to keep something attached.
Mitch
Attach large magnets by firing them into the asteroid, then slow the asteroid by magnetic induction from a surrounding "cage". The "cage" then uses that asteroidal kinetic energy to produce ion thrust to stabilize the "cage", plus some energy from solar cells to make up the difference in conversion losses. The asteroid provides most of the energy to slow itself down...
Magnetic fields are not radiant energy so assuming inverse square doesn't work. The path is always towards the opposite pole.
The description of the bag is in the blog. I didn't want to repeat technical detail in these postings. However the bag material is based on proven research done at Idaho National Lab many years ago. There is no unobtainium in this proposal. There are just different engineering alternatives.
Mitch
I have no idea what material you intend to use for your "bag". "Evaporating" your asteroid will require energy input(those molecules and atoms aren't going to move just for the fun of it) and that much energy is also going to effect your bag, especially as those molecules impact it and transfer energy to it.
Gary
A few problems here.
The distance between the "cage" and the magnets for any arbitrary shaped asteroid like a dumbbell would make it difficult to generate any electric current. Magnetics fields don't extend very far since they are really on their way to the other end of the magnet. The magnetic fields would never make it to the cage and hence no magnetic force on the wire to move electrons.
The major problem the distillation by bagging avoids is attaching to the surface of an asteroid of unknown consistency and surface: piles of rubble, centimeters of fine particles, etc. Attaching magnets would make the distillation by bagging no better than any other attach and work on the surface scheme.
The distillation process is going to cause the asteroid to come apart at the seams. Not useful for trying to keep something attached.
Mitch
Attach large magnets by firing them into the asteroid, then slow the asteroid by magnetic induction from a surrounding "cage". The "cage" then uses that asteroidal kinetic energy to produce ion thrust to stabilize the "cage", plus some energy from solar cells to make up the difference in conversion losses. The asteroid provides most of the energy to slow itself down...
Oh, this is tiresome.
G7
The description of the bag is in the blog. I didn't want to repeat technical detail in these postings. However the bag material is based on proven research done at Idaho National Lab many years ago. There is no unobtainium in this proposal. There are just different engineering alternatives.
Mitch
Magnetic field intensity declines as the inverse square of the distance between the magnet and the field coils of the cage. That could be a few inches (at the closest approach of the traveling edge of the asteroid) to whatever number of meters one determines is safest. The further they are apart and the weaker the magnets, the less inductance in the coils.
I have no idea what material you intend to use for your "bag". "Evaporating" your asteroid will require energy input(those molecules and atoms aren't going to move just for the fun of it) and that much energy is also going to effect your bag, especially as those molecules impact it and transfer energy to it.
Gary
A few problems here.
The distance between the "cage" and the magnets for any arbitrary shaped asteroid like a dumbbell would make it difficult to generate any electric current. Magnetics fields don't extend very far since they are really on their way to the other end of the magnet. The magnetic fields would never make it to the cage and hence no magnetic force on the wire to move electrons.
The major problem the distillation by bagging avoids is attaching to the surface of an asteroid of unknown consistency and surface: piles of rubble, centimeters of fine particles, etc. Attaching magnets would make the distillation by bagging no better than any other attach and work on the surface scheme.
The distillation process is going to cause the asteroid to come apart at the seams. Not useful for trying to keep something attached.
Mitch
Attach large magnets by firing them into the asteroid, then slow the asteroid by magnetic induction from a surrounding "cage". The "cage" then uses that asteroidal kinetic energy to produce ion thrust to stabilize the "cage", plus some energy from solar cells to make up the difference in conversion losses. The asteroid provides most of the energy to slow itself down...
LOL
G7