The Evening Summary, 7/31

Another month in the can. The year is proceeding so fast.

I've spent the last several hours going over the latest news in the debt limit story. From what I know about it, I am against it. It looks as if the worse possible outcome is going to be presented to the House and that they are going to be pressured into going along.

If this is correct, then what you may expect is that some of the Republicans might get peeled off and vote with Democrats to pass the bill.

It is a bad bill. The entitlement "cuts" only go to providers, not to beneficiaries. There is no structural change, which will be necessary for a real deal. It is phony baloney all the way. The cuts to the military are phony, but promise to get real in the second round. So, basically, the Republicans are giving up real cuts for phony cuts. The only thing they have "achieved" is no tax increase. But this too is at risk. Actually, they are at risk for a total defeat on all fronts.

They may as well concede defeat and pass a "clean" bill. Stop pretending that they are actually doing anything about the deficit because they are not. In case that they really are doing anything, it is only to defense, which is not a good idea, unless it is truly across the board. Defense cuts should be used as a bargaining chip, but they are being given away.

Thanks for coming by and have a great evening.

13. Widom-Larsen Theory Simplified

As long as we are destroying everybody's faith in "cold fusion", here's this article about another theory of low energy nuclear reactions.

Incidentally, one of Huizenga's objections to "cold fusion" was how did the Coulomb barrier get surpassed? I wrote about a theory that covered that possibility recently. Check the label, "BECNF Ni-H Theory" for a list of those posts.

Report #3: Scientific Analysis of Rossi, Focardi and Levi Claims

This is a very critical report on Rossi's E-cat device.   After reading this, you may feel despair.  I don't.  That's because I didn't invest as much hope in it as many people seem to have.  However, I must admit that it did fool me.  I got up to 95% sure of this thing, but, unfortunately, according to Krivit, it doesn't appear to work as claimed.  However, the door is still open here for rebuttal of Krivit's criticisms.  It has to be admited, though, that Rossi has a lot of 'splaining to do.

Fact or Fiction?: Archimedes Coined the Term "Eureka!" in the Bath

The famed mathematician made many important scientific contributions. Was this exclamation really one of them?

I'm using this story in connection with proving or disproving the validity of the E-cat.

It seems to me that the big breakthrough in getting acceptance for this device is to remove all controversy about its validity.  All attempts to do this up to this point have failed.  What could make the difference?

You could get the preeminent scientist of the times, as the King did in the Eureka story linked above.  Or you could devise an experiment yourself.  I think such an experiment could be devised that would end all controversy.  That would mean anybody could, if he thinks he can do it, devise an Archimedes type test of the device.

Why use this story?  Because there is something familiar about the story.  In the Eureka story, the King suspected that he was being cheated.  He believed that a base metal was being substituted for gold in his crown.  He wanted a way to discover this without destroying the crown and asked Archimedes if he would accept that challenge.  The E-cat is similar.  Most folks consider it a fake.  Rossi won't allow his device to be taken apart and examined closely.  This is similar to the King not wanting to destroy the crown.  So, a way needs to be found to prove/disprove the E-cat without Rossi having to give up his secret.

There are those who think that he has already done this.  But, why the continuing controversy?  Evidently, the demonstration wasn't good enough.  Rossi has declined to do any further demonstrations.  But, he says anyone who buys his E-cat can conduct their own demonstrations.  Very well.  Someone will have to buy an E-cat and conduct an appropriate experiment.

This shouldn't be too difficult.  In fact, I think one of these experiments is all but guaranteed at some point in the future.

E-cats for autos and space propulsion?

I think the answer to those questions are probably "no".  There's not enough energy being produced for that.

It is likely to be most useful in CHP.  Here's something I found on the journal of nuclear physics-
Cool Energy FAQs page pdf

This looks to useful for processing the kind of heat the E-cat appears to be producing.  It can make electricity off of the heated water, or working fluid that isn't being used for heating purposes.

As for space, the E-cat may be useful in life support.  It could take some of the load off of solar cells.

An Open Letter to the House GOP

Fred Thompson wants to declare victory and go home.

Evidently all of this was a political exercise, just as I thought. Well, that is a reasonable outcome. The people voted for divided government, and this is what you will get. Trying to get more than that will be pushing your luck a bit too far. That is what I think that Fred is attempting to get across.

I think he may be right.

Existence of God particle to be decided by next year

It has been speculated upon for decades and at the weekend there were hints that the existence of the highly sought-after “God particle” had finally been confirmed.

• Not!  "But at a press conference on Monday, the physicists in charge of the Large Hadron Collider said that they had only established where the Higgs boson was not to be found, and that its location continues to elude them."
• they now expect to know whether or not the most-wanted particle exists within 18 months.
• But on Friday researchers suggested they were close to achieving one of their main aims – catching sight of the elusive Higgs boson.
• “we know everything about it, except if it exists”.
• However Prof Heuer said even disproving the Higgs’s existence would be a “breakthrough”, as the question would still be settled and a new search would be on to explain the fundamentals of the physical world.

While studying bosons lately, the Higgs Boson made its appearance to me, at least.  It is in the literature, and that where I found it.

Moses went to the mountain to look for God, but these guys are going underground.  That sounds kinda funny, once you think of it.  Maybe the Higgs boson isn't what they think, eh?

Well, that's all for today.  Thanks for coming by and have a great evening.

Electron-Phonon Coupling at the Tungsten Surface

Another BECNF post here.  At first blush, this may not seem relevant since BECNF doesn't mention this coupling.  I got interested in it because of phonons, as phonons can act as bosons, which are relevant to the theory.

There may also be an objection with respect to Tungsten, since the BECNF is about Ni H systems, not tungsten.

What caught my attention, besides the phonon reference was this quote near the end:

This is an important dissipation channel for energy and will affect chemical reactions at surfaces, such as reactions on catalysts. Another interesting implication is the possibility of an electron-phonon-mediated superconductivity that is confined to the surfaces of metals and has a greatly enhanced critical temperature as compared to ordinary superconductors. [emphasis added]

As I noted before, "cold fusion" has been said to be a surface effect phenomenon.

A closer look at this paper allows another quote that I find interesting:

Since these "many-body" effects are often more prominent in physical systems with less than three dimensions  [ comment: as you would find on the surface] carefully prepared surfaces furnish good two-dimensional test beds for examining these effects in detail.

BCEs in this context probably qualify as a type of "many-body" effects referred to here.

Rossi's catalyst then, could be key.  Maybe that is why it is such a big secret.

Pauli exclusion principle and the BECNF theory

I'm still trying to get my mind around this theory.  The next question is this:  How does a BEC suppress the Coulomb Barrier and allow "cold fusion"?

The answer?  It must be the Pauli Exclusion Principle

It causes atoms to take up the space they do, since electrons cannot all congregate in the lowest-energy state but must occupy higher energy states at a distance from lower-energy electrons, therefore matter made of atoms occupies space rather than being condensed.

As we saw in the last post, distance is key in the Coulomb Barrier

In order to accomplish nuclear fusion, the particles involved must first overcome the electric repulsion to get close enough for the attractive nuclear strong force to take over to fuse the particles. 

Therefore, the BEC allows the atoms to get close enough for the strong force to take over and fusion takes place.

Update 7/26

You know, this wasn't very clearly written.  The point was supposed to be about the Pauli Exclusion Principle and somehow this didn't get explained.  Very well, let me try again.  The Pauli Exclusion Principle is what makes matter the way that it is.  Matter takes up space, as mentioned above.  The Pauli Exclusion Principle is why:  two atoms, which must obey this principle, cannot share the same quantum state, and therefore must be far apart.  For this reason, they are called "fermions", because they obey this principle.  Bosons do not.   As Bose and Einstein predicted, bosons will condense under appropriate conditions.  This means that the atoms of matter will get closer together.  The BECNF theory posits that a condensate is forming that is allowing the atoms to get close enough together in order to allow fusion to take place.  Under normal conditions, this will not happen.  The BECNF theory explains under what conditions these condensates may be forming which are allowing the Coulomb barrier to be overcome which will allow fusion at low temperatures.

With respect to the Coulomb barrier, fusion can take place either by the above theory, if proven correct, or by very high temperatures, which is the way it is being attempted by the hot fusioneers.  Either way may work in theory, but what separates the two is that Rossi may have found out how to do this in a commercially feasible way, which would be quite an achievement.

E-cat has military potential?

From Next Big Future this one short paragraph:

If the controversial Rossi cold fusion system panned out and the extra weight and size was reduced, there could be superior power for exoskeletons and robots.

If it is controversial, then it needs to stop being controversial.  I think that will fast-track it toward rapid commercialization, or military use.

 

New charging stations will soon give electric cars freedom to roam

by Bill Sheets, Herald Writer

• While more than 50 charging stations are available to the public in the Seattle-Tacoma area, only a handful are up and running in areas north
• By the end of the year, the Schnells or anyone else with a chargeable vehicle will be able to drive an "electric highway" to Canada, Oregon or across Stevens Pass without having to worry about running out of juice.
• The state's new stations will be located 40 to 60 miles apart.
• ECOtality has built more than 400 charging stations so far in people's homes in the central Puget Sound area, in addition to the 50-plus public outlets, said Rich Feldman, Pacific Northwest regional manager for ECOtality.
• Most of the stations will be located at private retail locations such as shopping malls, where users sometimes may shop, eat or have coffee while charging up
• Almost all of the public stations operating now are free of charge.
• How to find charging stations

The free electricity part ought to get somebody's attention.  These type of vehicle work best in mild climates, such as in Seattle, Washington.  Houston gets pretty hot, and the air conditioner would run the battery down too fast.

Cold Fusion news

I've been focused on the debt talks and got behind on the latest on that front.  Cold Fusion Now has several interesting posts, if you are like me, and got behind on the news.

There was one article which was dated on the anniversary of Neil Armstrong's first steps on the Moon, now over 42 years ago.  The mastery of energy will soon lead to the mastery of space.  This is what is holding space exploration back.  If the energy source is great enough, as it is with fusion, then single stage to orbit vehicles can be built.  These should make access to space more routine and therefore cheaper.  Access to space will become available to anyone who is interested in exploiting its vast economic potential.

Colonization will follow as people may want to settle space as they did the in the old frontier days in the US.

1. 
   

Morning Summary, 7/24

Good morning.  I got a late start this morning.  The "to do" list has kept me busy this morning.  Even though I've been busy, there's still more to do.  I'll take a break from the chores and do a little websurfing and see what's out there today.   Stay tuned.

A New Control Parameter

Andrea Rossi tells us through his blog that he has devised a new control parameter, [allowing better stability for self-sustain mode?] Source: Independent E-cat News

• How many Modules ( or KW ) per generator?  Answer: 300 kW
• What temperature and PSI would the generator be designed to receive? 200 Celsius, if possible.

My understanding of Stirling Engines, which isn't extensive, by the way, is that you need a temperature gradient of over 400 degress Farenheit.   Now, this number doesn't quite achieve that.  Does that rule out the use of Stirling Engines?

300 kW is much more than you would need for a car.  It is my opinion, for what it is worth, that if you could come up with something that could fit into a car and be powered by an E-cat, you would have a big hit.  Of course, this would indicate a Stirling Engine of about 25 kW powered by E-cats and supplemented by batteries.  The Stirling Engine would keep the batteries charged and the vehicle moving within the normal range of usage you would expect in a car.

Moon’s Interior Wet As Earth’s, Rocks Indicate (SPACE.com)

Just when we were starting to get over the shock that parts of the moon’s surface are wetter than the Sahara Desert, a new study reports that the lunar interior is sopping wet, too. (Freedom News)

• Now, new research has found that the moon’s insides are likely as wet as the Earth’s
• “The fact that these [samples] have terrestrial levels of water is really a stunner.”
• But co-author Thomas Weinreich, at the time a freshman at Brown University, spotted some while poring over the Apollo 17 samples.... “A kid a year out of high school found these for us,” Hauri told SPACE.com “That was pretty amazing in and of itself.” 
• The researchers reported their results today (May 26) in the journal Science.
• Where did the moon’s surface water come from? (in permanently shadowed craters)
• Researchers will likely need a sample-return mission to figure out where the surface water actually came from, Hauri said.

Wouldn't it make more sense to go back to the Moon as opposed to going to an asteroid?  Especially since there is water there and possibly plenty of other useful stuff.

I wish I could find a demo of someone baking some water out of lunar samples.  It was eye opening.




Update:

The collision mentioned above is also known as The Big Whack.

Could you run a car with something like this?

This Stirling Engine is rated at 55 kW (electrical) which is designed for use as a CHP.  The combined heat and power part isn't needed for cars, but the amount of power generated is more than enough.  Here is what I wrote recently when I wrote about fuel cell/ battery combos.

I figured that a 19 kW power source would power a Nissan Leaf down the highway with the air conditioner running.  You could have a lot of range if you can just keep the battery charged.   Now, if you can mate an E-cat with a smaller version of this Stirling Engine pictured above, you just might be able to roll down the road for as long as the fuel holds out while never depleting the battery.  Since the fuel needed for an E-cat is rather small for its output in energy, your driving range could be quite long indeed.

Rossi's Self Sustaining One Megawatt Reactor

by Hank Mills Pure Energy Systems News

I think that a self sustaining reactor should be the final "nail in the coffin" for the skeptics.  Where does the energy come from if all other sources have been eliminated?

The fact that the one megawatt plant will use no input power (the vast majority of the time) is very important. This will be absolute -- beyond any doubt -- proof that the technology works as claimed. Simply put, the pathological skeptics and naysayers will not be able to refute that cold fusion is taking place.  [emphasis added]

As for why it could work, the Bose Einstein Condensate Theory may check out.  Several weeks ago, I recall seeing this observation about the phenomenon known as "cold fusion"

"cold fusion is a surface effect phenomenon", http://youtu.be/gGJiLrG3fLY, at 46 minutes into video

Now, let's look at the Bose Einstein Condensate Theory, put forth by Yeong Kim, Purdue Nuclear and Many Body Theory Group (PNMBTG) Preprint PNMBTG-6-2011 (June 2011)

(1) additives used (not disclosed in the patent application) form Ni alloy and/or Ni metal/alloy oxide in the surface regions of nickel nano-scale particles, so that Ni atoms/nuclei become mobile with a sufficiently large diffusion coefficient and (2) local magnetic field is very weak in the surface regions, providing a suitable environment in which two neighboring protons can couple their spins anti-parallel to form spin-zero singlet state (S=0). Relatively low Curie temperature (nickel has the Curie temperature of 631 oK (~358 oC)) is expected to help to maintain the weak magnetic field in the surface regions  [emphasis added]

 There may be some objections to the Bose Einstein Condensates forming at these temperatures, but the others who say it can happen.  The theory has to be experimentally tested.

Returning to Mill's article:

Secondly, the nickel powder is processed in such a way that tubercles or protrusions form on it. After this processing, the nickel may resemble filamentary nickel.  

This further supports the notion that it is a surface phenomenon.  Filaments mean more surface area, I gather.

The high surface activity of T255 nickel powder's fine filamentary structure facilitates diffusion during sintering, ensuring high porosity with good strength, superior conductivity and long battery life.[http://www.incosp.com/products/type_255/] 

In a Bose Einstein Condensate, the coulomb barrier is suppressed, which allows the "cold fusion" reaction to take place.

Dean Kamen developing eco hybrid that will run on anything that burns

By Ben Purvis     20:19 June 28, 2009


Anything that burns?  Like nickel in an E-cat?

Rossi Seeks Help

On his blog, Andrea Rossi asks for help regarding turbines for electricity generation from his eCat-powered heat systems.

I checked out the blog.  Rossi says he doesn't know much about turbines.

If his device produces enough heat, he may consider a Stirling device.  It works off any heat source.  I don't know if it is the best option, though.

By the way, good morning.  It is already going into the fourth week of July.  Time flies, doesn't it?

Morning Summary, 7/20

Good morning. After scanning the news quickly this morning, I don't seem to have anything I want to discuss. The debt negotiations are coming to a head, it is coming down to the Senate plan, or the House Plan, or maybe no plan at all.  Which outcome will prevail?

Today is an anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon, which is now 42 years ago.  It took from 1903 to 1969 in time in order to get from Kitty Hawk to Tranquility Base.  Now 42 years from Tranquility Base to get to where we are now.  Does that say something to anyone?

We seem to be getting nowhere in more ways than one.

Essential facts about the E-cat

This may be a bit presumptuous of me, as well as premature.  So, I fiddled around with the title of this post.  Rather than to tell everybody else who reads this, I will just say it for myself.  Therefore, the question is not what you should know about it, but what I think I should know about it.  If it matches what you think, then perhaps you can benefit from it too. Also, I am learning new things all the time.  Not everyone will agree on this list.  It is my list, perhaps you, as the reader, may want your own list.

Here's the list, in no particular order.  It reflects what I think are important points about it.

• The reaction is claimed to be self sustaining.
• The reaction is claimed to produce heat, but not electricity.
• It has been examined by qualified people.  
• Not everyone is impressed with the credentials of those who have seen it.
• Not everyone who has seen it is convinced.
• Qualified people who have seen it have not denounced it as a fraud.
• Therefore, it is still controversial.
• The science about it is not established, but there are theories.
• At least one who has posited a theory is well qualified.  The theory has insufficient laboratory experimental data which can verify the theory.
• The market potential of the device, assuming that it works, does not appear to be that great, in my opinion.
• Even though the market potential, assuming that it produces as it is claimed, is not great, it still would be a great achievement.
• Nothing that I know of would be a roadblock to it having a greater success potential than it would seem to be the case at the moment.  This would assume the potential of great improvements to the device.

This post may not be music to the ears of E-cat supporters.  This is not to say that I think that it isn't any good.  I do think something is missing.  I also think the missing parts can be filled in.  I have no idea of when that may occur, but I would hope that it happens sooner, rather than later.

I hope this is not a disappointment to some, but that is how it seems to me, in my honest opinion.

A video documentary looking at cold fusion and the Rossi/Focardi experiments, via Peswiki.com

Actually, I found this on Al Fin Energy.

Evidently, those who were asked don't think Rossi acutally thought it up.  Instead, he seems to have found this by trial and error.  He may be patterning himself after Thomas Edison who once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.  It is much too early to make comparisons to Edison though, but if it holds up, the comparisons may be valid at some point in the future.

Bose Einstein Condensate and LENR

I won't discuss this much. Just that it struck me like a bolt of lightening. (okay, maybe that's an exaggeration) It did get my attention, put it that way. I put the key phrases in italics and bold for emphasis.

7. Summary and Conclusions
A generalization of the BEC mechanism for one specie LENR processes in condensed matters has been made to the case of a mixture of two different species of positively charged Bose nuclei in harmonic traps. Depending on the ratio of the parameters involved, it is shown that the two components may coexist in same regions of space, in spite of the Coulomb repulsion between two species. We have obtained an approximate selection rule involving nuclear masses and charges of two species.

When it exists in the same regions of space, fusion can take place.  Normally, this is not possible.  Okay, is this big time or am I dreaming?

This paper was created in 2004, so it isn't something dreamed up yesterday in order to explain the E-cat.

Cold Fusion during the Cold War

by Hank Mills
Pure Energy Systems New

During the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union, Filimonenko Ivan Stepanovich developed and patented a cold fusion technology. Although it never reached commercialization, it is a reminder that cold fusion has a history that predates by more than 2x the 23 years since Pons and Fleishman

I think that conventional wisdom will say that this stuff is crackpot. But the author of this blog isn't afraid of being labeled as crackpot.

I use that term in connection with this article because the very notion of "cold fusion" has gotten that label. Not to mention a few other things such as reactionless thrust, which is mentioned as well. That will get the conventional wisdom people in a snit, for sure.

People are so sure they are right about things. But what if you are wrong?

By the way, good morning.

Bose Einstein Condensates and the E-cat

Somebody else responded to my question to Andrea Rossi besides Rossi himself.  It was the observation that these condensates form at very low temperatures.  However, a little digging shows that it can be predicted that these condensates can form at very high temperatures too.  I cite the source here:

It has been predicted that a quasi-equilibrium system of bosons could undergo Bose-Einstein condensation even at relatively high temperatures, if the flow rate of energy pumped into the system exceeds a critical value. 

I found the link to this from the Wikipedia entry on Bose Einstein condensates, footnote number 10.  There is more to this, but I have shortened it because of a lack of time.  It should be easy enough to follow, though.

Update:

As I wrote before, the topic here is way above my pay scale, so I think I'll let it drop at this point.  It is interesting reading to a certain extent, but without the formal education to fully understand it, I feel a bit confused sometimes when I read this stuff.

I've been spending the last few hours reading over such topics as "spin" and "anti parallel" and so forth.  As best as I can determine, the theory offered to explain the e-cat's low energy nuclear reaction seems plausible. I'd rather not go much further than that.  That belongs in a discussion elsewhere.

Update:

Here's some information on Yeong E. Kim.  I'd say it looks pretty impressive.

Rossi eCat Accused

A commenter, Julian Brown, posted the following curious message in an eCatNews discussion thread:

Does this spell trouble of some kind?  It is difficult to sort it all out and decide for oneself.  Difficult because I want to believe in it, but knowing that this shouldn't be required.  For me, science shouldn't have that quality of believing in things.  Nothing is sacred in science, it has seemed to me.  I am going to keep a neutral attitude on this one.

Statistical correlation for the composite Boson

Baigeng Wang, Jian Wang
(Submitted on 16 May 2002)

I found this from a Google search on the words "singlet composite Bosons".  It is not a new theory, since this was published nearly 10 years ago.

Just trying to grasp the theory put forth to explain the E-cat with a scientific theory that I've been looking at recently.

Carnival of Space 206

Brian Wang of NBF blog seems to be contradicting Bob Zubrin just a bit.

Zubrin:

To achieve his much-repeated claim that VASIMR could enable a 39-day one-way transit to Mars, Chang Diaz posits a nuclear reactor system with a power of 200,000 kilowatts and a power-to-mass ratio of 1,000 watts per kilogram. 

BW:

There is a very near term solar power system which can achieve 1 kg/kw energy density at megawatt levels.

It is interesting that Zubrin minimizes the hazards of cosmic rays.  Perhaps he has not considered the fact that the LEO ISS missions have the Earth's magnetic field to shield from cosmic rays.  Once outside that protective barrier, there would be no protection.

I am not always in agreement with Zubrin.

Update:

There is a possibility of the James Webb Telescope's being canceled due to budget cuts.  Here is an argument against that.  You have to admire the guy's enthusiasm.

Just asked a question of Mr. Rossi

The question is awaiting moderation.  I am anxious to see what the answer is.

Greg M.
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
July 17th, 2011 at 9:13 AM

Dear Mr. Rossi:

I have read the Bose Einstein Condensate Theory here. If I may quote:

“(2) local magnetic field is very weak in the surface regions, providing a suitable environment in which two neighboring protons can couple their spins anti-parallel to form spin-zero singlet state”

and

“…This may provide a suitable environment in which more of both Ni atoms/nuclei and protons become mobile, thus creating a favorable environment for the case of two species of Bosons (Ni nuclei and composite Bosons of paired two protons).”

and

“The generalized BECNF theory can now be applied to these two-species of Bosons and provides a mechanism for the suppression/cancellation of the Coulomb barrier”

Do you have any comments?

Many thanks,
Greg M.

Update:

Here's the answer:

Dear Greg M.:
Please make your point: I am sure Prof. Yeong E.Kim will answer you. His work is very good, this is my comment.
Warm regards,
A.R.
[emphasis added]

I guess the comment suffices.   What's my point?   Hell, I don't know.   I figured he may have some idea and would like to comment upon it.

It looks to me like the theory is explaining how the fusion can take place.   He wants to conduct some experiments in order to confirm the theory, if my reading is correct.

The Big Show: JP Aerospace Blog

They've been busy over there and I've missed it.

We’ve teamed up with Samsung to do this live event from the edge of space.

Bose--Einstein Condensate (video)

In the description section, it says "Bose--Einstein condensate as it relates to Buddhism." I don't know anything about Buddhism, but it seems to explain the phenomenon well enough according to my understanding of it.

I did a google search for "boson" and got this Wikipedia entry. Here's the first part of the entry

In particle physics, bosons are subatomic particles that obey Bose–Einstein statistics. Several bosons can occupy the same quantum state. The word boson derives from the name of Satyendra Nath Bose.[1]

Bosons contrast with fermions, which obey Fermi–Dirac statistics. Two or more fermions cannot occupy the same quantum state.

Since bosons with the same energy can occupy the same place in space, bosons are often force carrier particles

How does that relate to the previous post?  I don't know.  Maybe some of the particles are acting like bosons and are trying to occupy the same quantum state- Bose -Einstein condensate.  If so, it is not at absolute zero temperature, which would appear strange.  But one thing about quantum mechanics, it is one strange phenomenon.




Update:

I've been reading a bit about bosons and fermions. Here's what I was looking for:

Weakly interacting fermions can also display bosonic behavior under extreme conditions, such as in superconductivity.

This could explain why rubidium is used for Bose Einstein condensates. It can act as a boson, presumably.

In 1995, rubidium-87 was used to produce a Bose-Einstein condensate,[29] for which the discoverers won the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics.[30]

Why does rubidium act like a boson? I can't find anything that answers that question. Perhaps it is this hyperfine structure. At any rate, rubidium has unusual properties which make it useful.

US Military Thinks Oil Shortage is Imminent

The US military has warned that surplus oil production capacity could disappear within two years and there could be serious shortages by 2015 with a significant economic and political impact.  via eCatNow, Energy Catalyzer- E-cat and Guardian UK

This is a relatively old report going back to April 2010, so it is over a year old.  Oil production capacity has been tight for several years now, and may get tighter sooner rather than later.  The most likely outcome will be higher prices, as the article says.  In my opinion, the E-cat needs a lot of upgrading before it can be a significant player in this scenario.

Prof Focardi Talks eCat

Independent eCat News

If you follow the links provided, you'll come to the interview here.   You may come to what appears to be a blank page, just scroll down.

Summary of questions ( I rephrased the questions, these are not literal matches to the translation page )

1. ...what are the theoretical and experimental evidence of how the E-cat works?
2. Some physicists say that fusion occurs only in stars.  Isn't this just a chemical reaction? 
3. What do you think is the key technology that makes the E-cat possible?
4. Have you observed emission of neutrons in this E-cat process?
5. How long does the reaction last? 
6. What have you observed in terms of energy balance of the entire process,  from
   the creation of nickel powder until the vaporization of water?
7. What will be the main application of this generator?
8. On June 23, ... the Greek company Defkalion Green
   Technologies has announced the construction of a 1 MW E-cat power plant by November 2011. Can you tell us more about that? What are the existing links with industry?
9. Are you planning further experiments on the subject? 

Graphite + water = the future of energy storage

A combination of two ordinary materials – graphite and water – could produce energy storage systems that perform on par with lithium ion batteries, but recharge in a matter of seconds and have an almost indefinite lifespan.

 Key point:

“The reason graphene isn’t being used everywhere is that these very thin sheets, when stacked into a usable macrostructure, immediately bond together, reforming graphite. When graphene restacks, most of the surface area is lost and it doesn’t behave like graphene anymore.”

Now, Dr. Li and his team have discovered the key to maintaining the remarkable properties of separate graphene sheets: water. Keeping graphene moist – in gel form – provides repulsive forces between the sheets and prevents re-stacking, making it ready for real-world application.
 

The Amazing Properties of Thorium

Could Thorium solve the world's energy problems? See NextBigFuture for the answer.

I think it could and it wouldn't require new technology.

Al Fin Energy: More About General Fusion

The General Fusion (near Vancouver, BC, Canada) approach to nuclear fusion is called "magnetized target fusion," which is a hybrid of magnetic and inertial confinement fusion approaches.

 What gets my attention is this:

 General Fusion is building upon research information developed at the different national labs, and attempting to create a relatively small-scale, low-cost fusion reactor using deuterium-tritium gas, magnetic confinement, and acoustic compression.[emphasis added]

Now, the big problem that I see with tokomaks which are being used by the ITER project, is that they are so big. If you can shrink the whole apparatus down to a small size, then the amount of energy needed for fusion is correspondingly decreased, and the magnetic confinement strategy can be more modest. This is interesting because of that as well as the acoustic compression technique.

Incidentally, I think the "cold fusion" techniques may be helping hot fusion in that it is showing new ways to reduce the requirements that are needed to be met so that fusion can occur.

Andrea Rossi a Lone Fraudster?

From Independent E-cat news

It is this sort of circumstantial evidence – a short example of many – that makes it difficult to reconcile the view that Andrea Rossi is somehow pulling the wool over all these people’s eyes.

Just speaking for myself here, and since I don't have any financial interest in it, perhaps it doesn't really matter what I think.  It would help if there was a more convincing demonstration than what I've seen so far.

This tech group discussion reminds me of a demo of dry steam.  I looked for it again and couldn't find it, but found a dry steam iron.  It seems that it should be possible to produce something like this out of an E-cat.  Actually, much more than this.




Dry steam would act as a gas and would have a lot more pressure per volume.  Any gas behaves that way according to the Gas Laws.  Notice how much pressure is coming from the iron when he presses the button.  That shows the pressure of the dry steam gas.

It should go without saying that one needs to be cautious about this because if you allow your judgement to be overwhelmed by your desire to believe in something, you just might be making a mistake.

I want this to work, but I will retain some skepticism until I see something stronger in terms of a demonstration.

PANASONIC DEVELOPS BREAKTHROUGH THERMOELECTRIC GENERATOR.

by Bruce Mulliken, Green Energy News

Got this link via E-cat Now!

This could fit pretty well with the technology of the E-cat.

Could E-Cat be used to Power Spaceships?

In a recent interview with Ny Teknik (a Swedish magazine), Craig Cassarino of AmpEnergo said an unidentified company in the United States was interested in using the energy to catalyzer to propel space vehicles.

It seems plausible to me.  You would need to get a reaction mass up to a sufficient temperature so that the expansion of it can be similar to a "burn".  Provided the temperature was high enough, the pressure of the gas could propel a spacecraft.

By the way, good morning.  Finally made it to Friday and the weekend.  Thank goodness.

Shuttle C

I've been listening to Dennis Wingo on the Space Show.  He was on the show a few days ago.  One thing that got my attention was that he said that Constellation was pretty much doomed from the start.  He also said that NASA could have had heavy lift which could have provided a seamless transition from the Shuttle system that we now are retiring.

He may have been referring to the Shuttle C concept, which I recall from the 80's.

http://pdf.aiaa.org/preview/1989/PV1989_2521.pdf

This configuration would have used the Shuttle components as is, but without a Shuttle, of course.  It might have even flown concurrently with the Shuttles until recently.  In the meantime, NASA could have developed the Ares I  in order to continue with manned flights after the retirement of the Shuttle.   The Constellation was built in order to have a BIG rocket, which really isn't necessary.  The consequence of this decision, to scrap the Shuttle C in favor of Ares V ( the big cargo carrier) was the loss of capability.  Wingo blames NASA for this.  Now there isn't any heavy lift nor manned spaceflight capability.  If budget cuts go deep enough, it may get even worse.

Automakers Give Flywheels a Spin

The automakers Volvo and Jaguar are testing the possibility of using flywheels instead of batteries in hybrid electric vehicles to aid acceleration and help engines operate more efficiently.

There are trade offs in such a system.  It appears not to be useful for long range driving:

One advantage of flywheel systems over batteries is their compact size. "Most hybrids with batteries provide a 15- to 25-kilowatt boost of power. The flywheel can deliver 60 kilowatts in a way smaller package," says Andrew Atkins, chief engineer of technology at Ricardo. The trade-off is that flywheels can't supply energy for very long. 

Research update: New way to store sun’s heat

Modified carbon nanotubes can store solar energy indefinitely, then be recharged by exposure to the sun.

The more I learn about carbon nanotubes, the more amazed I am.  Is there anything that it cannot do?

Cold Fusion Song

From the Cold Fusion Now website

Angel Cold Fusion Song by Elienation

Independent eCat News: Cold Fusion – 1956

We tend to think that the term ‘Cold Fusion’ was first made public in 1989, but the following newspaper article from December 1956 reminds us otherwise:

Ecatreport: Defkalion GT and Ampenergo to Meet with NASA to Discuss E-Cat Development

Another potentially big story.

Among many other topics covered in this interview, one of the most intriguing is the fact that on July 14th 2011 representatives of Defkalion GT and Ampenergo will be meeting with NASA “for an important discussion regarding the research and business development around the E-Cat”

There are a couple links for more info, be sure to read it all.

Digest of Rossi Q&As July 12, 2011 (“Remarkable Progress” on E-Cat with No Input Electricity)

A self-sustaining E-Cat with no electrical input would be a vast step forward

Actually, a self-sustaining E-cat will remove all doubt about its ability to generate power.  It would be the unambiguous demonstration that I've been referring to.  After all, if it needs no input power, where is it coming from?  From itself, of course.  If he is getting close to doing this, it will be HUGE.

Andrea Rossi Conducts Audio Interview with Bill Moore of EV World

There isn't enough time to listen to the mp3 file, so I'll have to comment later.

Update:

I listened to the recording.  It covers nothing new as far as I can tell.

How Seawater Can Power the World

But an abundant, safe and clean energy source once thought to be the stuff of science fiction is closer than many realize: nuclear fusion.  source: NY Times

If it is closer than many people realize, it is because others are getting there faster.  This author proposes more money for the Tokomaks, which get the lion's share of the money already.  A faster pathway would be available if the money was spread out more evenly.

It makes sense that the New York Times would run such an article.  They are for big government projects all the way.  The bigger and more expensive and the least likely to work projects are the ones that seem to get the nod the most often.  That's how we end up with massive budget deficits.

Washington Examiner: Space program was our biggest bridge to nowhere

A 2010 Rasmussen poll showed that more Americans think private enterprise should pay for space exploration than think government should fund it.

This is a not very bright editorial without any sense of history.  If Christopher Columbus couldn't get Isabella of Spain to fund his exploration for another route to China, America, as we know it, would not exist.

This, to put it frankly, is the kind of stupidity that could lead to America's demise.  I use the word "stupidity" with a deliberateness that I hope conveys my extreme contempt.

There's nothing wrong with private enterprise funding a good portion of space exploration, but there is at least some place of government funding, provided that it is done intelligently.  That's a big "if", however.  The real problem lies in how money gets spent, not whether it gets spent at all.  They can spend 10 times as much on the space program, and still be a bunch of screw ups.  On the other hand, if there was some real intelligence in Washington, which I doubt, they could do amazing things with half of what they get.

Space is not a bridge to nowhere.  It is a bridge to everywhere! What a moron.

News release: In fusion race, lightning thunders over lasers

I guess you can say this is "hot"!  As in hot fusion as opposed to "cold fusion".  It is a bit of news from the Focus Fusion boys at  Lawrenceville Plasma Physics.  An excerpt from the press release:

NIF researchers hope to improve enough to reach ignition in a year, but LPP expects to substantially better its own results next month as major upgrades to FoFu-1 are completed. Yet, to judge from the work of most scientists at the conference, an observer might think that there were only two possibilities for fusion: NIF and the equally enormous ITER, a 100-foot tall “plasma donut” that may finish construction in France by 2025. 

http://lawrencevilleplasmaphysics.com/images/stories/AtLeft-NIF_Chamber_AtRight_LPP-FoFu-1_Chamber.jpg

 Looks like Focus Fusion is on schedule for feasibility demonstration at the end of the year.  A couple throw in quotes below completes the press release:

I think that the “Focus Fusion” approach of Lawrenceville Plasma Physics, Inc. should be funded as the science behind it is very interesting. Even if this approach does not succeed in producing fusion energy, the research will produce valuable technology in the near term. - Bruno Coppi, Professor of Physics and Senior Fusion Researcher, MIT

The experimental program that LPP plans to carry out has great potential to show how the plasma focus can be used to generate fusion energy and to demonstrate the feasibility of hydrogen-boron fusion. In addition, the experiments will investigate the magnetic effect, which will be very exciting. Achieving giga-gauss magnetic fields with the plasma focus, getting gyro-radii of the order of the electron Compton wavelength, will certainly be new physics and will open up large new possibilities for energy production. - Dr. Julio Herrera, Professor of Physics, National Autonomous University of Mexico

As I stated before, I really like Focus Fusion as a space propulsion device.  I am going to put this press release with the label that goes with the rest of the posts I made on that subject.


More here at NextBigFuture.

Robert E Godes explains Brillouin energy and Los Alamos National Lab Situation

Brillouin Energy Corporation (BEC) technology uses the hydrogen in ordinary water in a nuclear process that produces no hazardous waste.  source NBF

Be sure to read this comment from Godes himself. 

It may be hard to tell, but my post about  "The Saint"  discussed Brillouin some more.  It's funny, but I looked it up myself and I couldn't find it on my own blog.  Here's what I said:

This video is very interesting in that it shows that it can be controlled at will. [emphasis added]

That's the key thing here- control.   He seems to have enough control over the reaction to turn it on and off at will.  This could be significant.   Be sure to watch that video.  You can link to it through the post above.  Don't forget to do this.

Moonbase, Part IV

Don't know if I want to beat this topic to death.  I just got an idea from what I've read about JP Aerospace's plan to get to orbit.  Each of his airships to orbit will be over a mile long.  Now if you can inflate something that big and get to space with it, what else can you do with it?  Connect them up into a gigantic space hab?

It seems that he plans to get 40,000 lbs in LEO once he gets them going.  That may be a tall order in itself.  It turns out that Bigelows Space Habs weigh that much.  The idea here is that if he can get to orbit with that much, may it can be a space hab that can be boosted to a Lagrange point.  But that would be from Earth.  What about the Moon?

Perhaps this entire thought experiment is to show that you can begin building stuff out there and that once you get enough people and material out there, you can start doing serious things.

Update:
More Blogger troubles.  Let's try this again.  Here's a link to the Nautilus Concept, which is based upon Bigelow technologies.

Moonbase, Part III

Well, the previous exercise was a thought experiment on what might be achieved from a lunar base.  What exists today that might be useful in creating something similar to an O'Neil colony?  That's a big stretch.  But here's an idea.  Since 31 pieces of 500 feet each can make a torus of 1 mile in diameter, why not connected 310 pieces of 50 feet each to do the same?

It so happens that Bigelow Aerospace is making space habs about 50 feet long.  String 300 of these together and you get about a mile in length.  Connect them into a circle and spin it up and you've got artificial gravity of 1 g.

It would take 300 launches of a heavy lifter to get these to a Lagrange point.  That would probably rule this option out.  They accomodate 6 people apiece.  At most, you could get a small community up there, but probably at too great an expense.   Besides, these habs aren't designed to do what I'm suggesting.

Moonbase continued

Having trouble with Blogger again.  It won't let me update the previous post.  If it looks a little rough, that's why.

Correction therefore here:  if each piece of the outer rim is 500 ft, then for a 1 mile in diameter torus, you would need more than 3 miles to do the job.  This means 15624 feet.  Dividing this by 500 gives 31 pieces.  It so happens that the picture of the bicycle tire shows about that many spokes.  So each piece could be connected to the hub by 1 spoke.

This also means that you would need to launch each piece with a connecter to the hub and one at each end so that they can be connected together.  If they use a 16 inch "space cannon", the connectors between will be limited to no bigger than that.   Enough room for a man to go through?  Maybe barely.  Each would be like an airlock, so that it would preserve the air pressure inside.  Not real comfy, but livable, with 500 feet of space inside.

Mass driver at Moonbase

I ran the numbers with the artificial gravity equation, which I discussed here. You can reach orbital velocity from the Moon with a racetrack set up of diameter of two miles, with an RPM of about 10. That means that it circles the track every six seconds or so and goes a little over 6 miles. Approx 1 mile per sec. The number of g's would probably be too high, but I could possibly calculate that from the lunar gravitation constant.

substituting lunar gravitation constant in upper equation

I don't know if that is valid, but for the numbers above the "g" force would be ??? Actually, the number got larger for some reason. One would think otherwise. In the original equation, it would be over 160 g's. That would be too much for people.

On second thought, a racetrack setup like this may be unrealistic. Perhaps you could set up a "space cannon" type gizmo in order to move stuff around on the moon, or into orbit. Those were tested at hypersonic speeds on Earth already.  I wonder if you could build one that would obtain orbital velocity?

Actually, the ground test mentioned here would achieve escape velocity from the Moon.

How could you build something comparable on the Moon? You could load one of these on a space craft that could land on the lunar surface. It would have to be constructed in place and it may need to use materials obtained from the Moon itself. Or, if it couldn't be obtained from the Moon itself, the raw materials could come from the Earth, and processed on the Moon.

By processing, I mean, taking say, basic steel, or aluminum, or some other metal that could be easily transported to the lunar surface. It would then be melted down and cast into a the appropriate shape desired.

Here's an idea that I've considered in connection to landing on the Moon without incurring as large of a mass penalty. You could use solid metals as reaction mass for your descent. The descent should be nearly vertical over the landing area so as to "recycle" the metals later after landing.

You would heat a gas, probably hydrogen hot enough that it could push a larger mass of metal downward with considerable velocity towards the lunar surface. The opposite reaction is according to Newton's laws, and it would slow down the descent as it would with a hot gas. The difference is that the gas dissipates, but the metal remains to be collected later.

Several tons could be expelled in such a manner. Although the final descent should be with a conventional engine setup. This could be considered a dual staged descent.

Update:

The discussion of a space gun as an example above mentions a 16 inch 100 caliber Navy gun.  Here is a discussion of how big such a gun would be in length.   The calculation would be 16 inches x 100 = 1600 inches long.   133 feet!  The slug weighed in at 180 Kg.  ( nearly 400 lbs).

Now, in order to build a O'Neil colony in space with lunar materials, you would need to somehow break down the pieces to that size and weight, and fire them many, many times.  You may want to aim at L4 or L5 Lagrange point in the Earth Moon system.  One proposition would be to load up a module of carbon nanotube superstructure at a time.  The superstructure would be able to be inflated when it arrives the Lagrange point.  Subsequent firings could place stuff inside the superstructure to build it from the inside.

An estimate to its size?  Maybe 500 ft to 1000 ft cylinders that would fit end to end so that it could make a torus, or donut shape.  Or perhaps, the torus could be made with the carbon nanotubes making up the foundation of subsequent construction.  It would be set up in a ring 1 mile in diameter, consisting of 500 to 1000 ft at a time.  This would mean 3 to 6 main pieces connected together to form the basic structure.

It might look like a bicycle tire, with the carbon nanotubes making up the rim.  You would then build inwards toward the hub with "spokes" to fit towards the middle towards the hub.   The spokes could be tethers that fit into a central hub and extended out towards the periphery where the carbon nanotube "tube" is.  Like the bicycle tire.

http://www.everybicycletire.com/

Pardon me for the amateurish example above.  It is a common ordinary bicycle tire from an advertisement on a webpage.  It will serve as an illustration of what I propose.  So far, I have describe the outer ring of carbon nanotubes which are inflated and connected to each other to form the torus.  The spokes are connected to a hub in the middle so that the hub and the outer rim are connected.   The habitable part will be between the rim and the spoke with a connecting point to the rim on one side and the spoke on the other.

Now, getting the spokes and the hub into position with the space gun may be a challenge.  But since they are tethers, they may be coiled inside a container.

By the way, I am making this stuff up as I go along.  This is like thinking aloud.  The problem I see is that the carbon nanotube that forms the rim may be desirable a habitable space, but since they have to be shot up separately and connected together, they won't be as open as you may like.  This may give something of a confining feel to the place.

Evening Wrap, 7/9

With the last Shuttle mission in the books, and the likelihood that Obama will be defeated in 2012, it looks like there will be a new mission early in the next administration.  I will continue making the case for a Moonbase mission that sets up the long term goal of colonization.  Maybe the world "colonization" is supposed to be bad, because it isn't politically correct.  I think it should be used for that very reason.  The idea is to reject the notion that colonization was a bad time in history.  Western Civilization did more to further progress in the world than not, no need to apologize.  By using that word, we need to reject the notion of self hatred that is poisoning our culture.  In particular, we should reject liberalism.

Why go to the Moon again?

This is a continuation of a thought which I had recently and earlier today.

If you were to argue for the economic point of view only, consider this:

escape velocity from the Moon:  5140.8 mph
orbital velocity around the Moon:  3682.8 mph  ( I'm guessing here because this source appears incorrect)

That compares, respectively, with roughly 25,000 mph and 17,000 from the Earth.

Also Mach 1 defined:  This is 1,236 kilometres per hour (768 mph), or about one kilometer in three seconds or approximately one mile in five seconds.

A performance point of reference: a SR 71 "Blackbird" could fly at Mach 3.3   You would only need about Mach 2 additional speed for orbit and an additional Mach 2 for escape velocity.  A lunar module could reach lunar orbit (Apollo era).   What you would need for lunar orbit doesn't amount to that much in comparison with Earth.

The point being that, if you wanted to do human exploration of the planets, you can first learn how to survive on the Moon, and then use the Moon for your launch station.  If you can survive on the Moon, you can supply your astronauts from the Moon.  The only additional requirement subsequently, therefore, will be in getting a crew from the Earth to the Moon.  From the Moon, they can get to the rest of the solar system.  That could be an economic rationale for a Moonbase.  It would be a launch facility in its own right.

In economic parlance, you will be leveraging lunar resources.

By launching from the Moon, you improve the economics of human space exploration.  It would take an initial investment, but once in place, it will improve your capabilities in space by reducing its cost.

Politically, it is hard to see how this works because there is no constituency on the Moon. Therein lies the problem. However, consider this: the Moon's launch facility can itself be leveraged for additional development of other industries that can be started on the Moon and beyond. And that, I would think, would be the whole point. In other words, a constituency can eventually be developed in connection with this since it will require support of some kind.

Artificial gravity calculations

From the equation, we can deduce what number you need in order to bring this rpm
times pi up to 30, which will then yield a product of 1.

(3.1459 x rpm)=30

therefore, at RPM= 9.536

Now, do the same with R, which brings it to 1, and cancels out the denominator

Thus, in order to produce 1g, need R = 9.81m, spinning at 9.54 rpm
In that case, circumference = 61.7 m, spinning rate = 35.33 km hour

Or, you can vary R in meters, so as to calc. g

If you use 6 rpm, you approximate Mars gravity

since you obtain by plugging 6 into the rpm variable, you obtain
0.396 g with R = 9.81m

True industries and reasons for Space

At NBF, the Carnival of Space is up. I found this link to something that I've written about here.

Funding dam breaks for Brillouin boiler that uses – water!

by Ruby Carat , Cold Fusion Now

This looks interesting, but since it is late, I don't have time to study it.  I'll pick it up tomorrow and try to comment a bit on the pdf file that I found at the Cold Fusion Now link above.

It's kinda late for me and I'm a bit tired.  Thanks for coming by, and have a great evening.

Loris Ferrari, Associate Professor of Physics University of Bologna endorses E-cat

Translated Italian text to English found here

By the way, good morning everyone.  Time to crank it up for another day.  On the tap today is the possible launch of the final space shuttle mission.  Weather may interfere.

A quick scan of the news reveals nothing much.   Here is something about the debt ceiling negotiations.  An editorial.

Say No To the Dems’ July Surprise

I will be busy today, so posting will be light.

 

Eve. Wrap 7/7

Tomorrow will be busy on the road, so there will be light posting.  It's getting late and I'm a bit tired, so I'll close shop for today.  Thanks for coming by and have a great evening.

Why Colonize Space?

For the sake of argument, let say there aren't any rational reasons to colonize space.   Let's reconsider that in another light by making an analogy.   What if you could compare an off world colony to a child?   What if you could consider the Earth having a son or daughter world that could be born and raised up until it can go out on its own?   Let's consider if that is possible.   Then it can be considered as a choice to do or not do.

Now for the matter of whether or not it could be done.  Let's start with the Moon.  We now know that there is water on the Moon.  There may be other "volatiles" that could be useful in life support.  In addition to all this, there is abundant matter on its surface.   With some effort and expense, a permanent lunar colony could be started which could do...  what?

I think that it should immediately put to the task of creating an artificial world that O'Neil envisioned.   Getting material from the Moon to space is a lot easier from the Moon itself than from directly from Earth.  The advantage is in the same vein as it would be to put a colony on the Moon.  It is easy to escape the Moon, and easier still to escape an O'Neil colony.  From an O'Neil colony, it could then be possible to begin colonizing the rest of the solar system.

The O'Neil colony would be the ultimate goal, but in the meantime, we have to fix up a Moonbase. We need access to its resources, which could consists not only of its volatiles, but also of thorium, which can be used as a source of energy.  Why thorium?  Assuming that fusion is still a long ways off, we know that thorium can be used with today's technology.  Therefore, the second task on the Moon, after mining it for its volatiles, would be to mine it for its thorium.  Now, let's inventory the lunar capabilities.  You have a life support system in place which, with an energy source, can begin major processing of lunar ores.  In short, you can start making stuff for your O'Neil colony.  In addition, with an energy source like thorium, you can have a propulsion system that can get you off the surface.

You need a transportation system on the Moon in order to move materials around on its surface.  This can be achieved with mass drivers, or some similar technology.  In this manner, a lunar trading system can be emplaced, which could move materials from where there are to where they are needed.   Now, you have a life support system, an energy production system, a transportation system, and an economic system.  It is beginning to look like a society that can begin to support itself.  Not to mention, it can cooperate with Earth and create another O'Neil colony in space.  In this manner, the colonies begin to act like an organism that replicates itself.

And that is the whole idea.  Life doesn't have to be "rational" in the sense of always being economical.  If you want a child, for example, it isn't so you can make money off the child.  You want a child to pass along what you know to the next generations to follow.  It is like a bond from the past towards the future.  A society that no longer cares about this no longer cares about continuing to exist.  What kind of world do we want to leave our progeny?  A world in which can be ever increasing and expanding, or one in which is always contracting and dying off?  A colony would be an investment in our own future.  Even more, it can be our guarantee of even having a future.   We may not benefit directly ourselves, but we can be assured that those following us will have a place in the sun.

Andrea Rossi – E-Cat Q&A Highlights

In this summary and FAQ we highlight interesting Q&A’s from the Journal of Nuclear Physics. All the answers are given by Andrea Rossi himself.

It is his invention and he can do what he wishes with it.  But it seems to me that this could go a lot faster.

NBF: Space Shuttle Program was a $209 billion mistake

MIT Technology Review - The Space Shuttle program's benefits weren't worth the cost—and now the U.S. is in jeopardy of repeating the same mistake, says a leading space policy expert.

John M. Logsdon is professor emeritus at the Space Policy Institute, George Washington University, and author of John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon. In 2003, he was a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. 

When you consider that NASA already had heavy lift with the Saturn V, and almost had a nuclear thermal rocket ready to go before being canceled, it seems an almost incredible mistake now.  The Saturn V nuclear thermal had an astounding 170 ton LEO capability.  This was in the early seventies.  If it had been built, a trip to Mars would have been feasible.  Not only feasible, but likely, because that was why it was built.  Here we are, 40 years later, having to reinvent the wheel that already had been invented.  This shows, if nothing else can, the failure of government.  Even when they do something right, they still screw it up.

Does the Moon have an ecology?

Then why worry if it is strip mined?

The author seems to be bringing up the spectre of war, but if fusion energy is perfected so that the acquistiion of helium 3 makes sense, it won't matter anymore.  It's like fighting over the air we breathe.  There will be more energy than mankind will ever know what do with.   This is silly.

Morning Summary, 7/7

I may have more time to post today, but I have to be out here, so bear with me, please.

A few quick thoughts this morning

1. We are quickly approaching the political season.
2. If space is to become a political issue, it must get started soon.
3. Of the presidential candidates who may be most interested in space, my guess would be Gingrich 
4. It is getting late to have an impact, so it may not happen this time
5. The same is true of any new technology that could get government help, such as fusion
6. A new line of endeavor, such as energy can be a big job creator.  It is a good issue to have, but I don't see anyone grabbing it.
7. The debt issue is sucking the oxygen out of everything else.  Neither party is interested in resolving that issue.   They are taking inflexible stands which play well to their bases, but aren't particularly useful in solving any problems.
8. This is a great opportunity for somebody who can stand out from the crowd, but I don't see it happening.  I wish it were different. 
9. The enthusiasm for the Republican nominees isn't that high.  Somebody needs to see this opportunity. 

Q&A with Douglas R. McAllister: Mayor Pro-tem and Cold Fusion Author

I found this article on Cold Fusion Now website.  McAllister is an author who wrote an novel

with cold fusion technology at the center of the plot.

The novel is titled The Sovereign Principles.   I checked out the Amazon link.  There are no customer reviews of the book.

McAllister appears to have his own website.

This is all I can write for now.  By the way, good morning all.

Eve. Wrap, 7/5

There may be brighter days ahead.  Technology keeps marching on.  If the human race doesn't destroy itself first, things could get much better.  But hasn't that been the case for the last century?  Great progress is balanced against a razor thin margin of error, which could be exceeded at any time with disastrous results.  One feels hope and fear at the same time.   The future is unknown, and we race towards it with increasing speed.  Let us hope that we reach the other side in one piece.  Thanks for coming by and have a great evening.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden speaks about human space flight

1. National Press Club: Introductory remarks and welcome of guests and speaker
2. End of Shuttle Era will not end American leadership in space
3. Mission to an asteroid
4. Tribute to Shuttle's history
5. Recommitting ourselves to manned space exploration
6. Benefits of manned space exploration
7. Logical sequence, not if, but how- must cut costs
8. Vital to keep exploring, focus on research and development, maintain and grow US leadership in space
9. New spacecraft, heavy lift rocket, technology developments
10. Also science missions, Dawn mission around giant asteroid, Mars rover
11. Research continues to improve, new ways of doing business better
12. Choices, same old thing or inspirational things
13. NASA moving forward, status quo is unacceptable
14. We'll keep moving.  Challenges inspire to improve country.  Reference to Kennedy Moon Shot challenge, comparison to Obama
15. Q&A follows
16. Budget issues
17. Private sector v public- commercial space started long ago he says
18. Private and international partners does not conflict with national security
19. Transfers of technology- lot of laws to deal with that
20. How long for commercial to fly astronauts?  Ans: 3 years after 1st contract, "2015 ish"
21. No shortage of applicants for astronauts, he says
22. Intro of Mark Kelly
23. Remarks about ISS and experiments
24. Cosmic particle detectors, 600 physicists involved, anti matter conjectures
25. Nation of explorers for 200 years, Kennedy quote
26. Mention of his retirement,  public office?  Makes joke about Iowa and New Hampshire
27. focus on his wife's recovery and family
28. Wrap up, I'll stop here

Naveen Jain, Innovator, Philanthropist, And Entrepreneur, Is Reaching For The Moon As Co-Founder and Chairman Of Moon Express, Inc.

Written by Daven Maharaj

Silicon Valley, CA (April 4, 2011) - Naveen Jain shared with colleagues at the annual Explorers Club Awards Dinner in New York that he is Co-Founder and Chairman of Moon Express, Inc., winner of a $10M NASA commercial lunar contract and a leading contender for the $30M Google Lunar X PRIZE. Why is Naveen reaching for the Moon? He explained, “This is an extremely exciting project as Moon exploration is vital to solving Earth’s present and future resource problems.” (emphasis added)

I agree.

 

A Fusion Thruster for Space Travel

Clean, highly energetic reaction delivers a lot of drive from a drop of fuel

I saw this several days ago and my initial reaction was negative.

On further review, I saw this and it looks impressive.

The motor could generate 1 megawatt per second if the pulses are frequent enough to start reactions that consume that amount of boron in 1000 seconds.  [ a little further ahead of this sentence--- Even at 50 percent efficiency, burning off 40 milligrams of the boron fuel would deliver a gigajoule of energy]

But it won't be ready soon.  He says 10 years of work before this can be put to use.

Asked how long it will be before his fusion reactor is pushing spacecraft toward Mars, Chapman acknowledges that a decade of work might be required before that happens. "It takes teamwork to get something to the point where you put it in space," he says. His aim so far is "to get the idea out so other minds can begin thinking about it." 

 

ecat news

Looks like a good source of news.

As for this blog, I just don't have the training to evaluate it.   The author of that site seems to do a good job, as far as I can tell.

AmpEnergo claims the Western Hemisphere

by Ivy Matt, Cold Fusion Now

 For now the company will focus on developing a 1 MW device, to be available in late 2011 or early 2012. Unlike Defkalion it currently has no plans to develop a home heating unit.

There have been some comparisons of "cold fusion" with powered flight, which is popularly known from the story of the Wright Brothers.

Nearly five years after their first powered flight, they were still not believed.

 1903

Following repairs, the Wrights finally took to the air on December 17, 1903, making two flights each from level ground into a freezing headwind gusting to 27 miles per hour (43 km/h). The first flight, by Orville, of 120 feet (37 m) in 12 seconds, at a speed of only 6.8 miles per hour (10.9 km/h) over the ground, was recorded in a famous photograph.

1908 

Facing a lot of skepticism in the French aeronautical community and outright scorn by some newspapers that called him a "bluffeur," Wilbur began official public demonstrations on August 8, 1908 at the Hunaudières horse racing track near the town of Le Mans, France. His first flight lasted only one minute 45 seconds, but his ability to effortlessly make banking turns and fly a circle amazed and stunned onlookers, including several pioneer French aviators, among them Louis Bleriot. 

Although the Wright Brothers achieved fame, it does not appear that they achieve much fortune from their invention.  It is something of a cautionary tale to read their story.  With the history of "cold fusion", it already shows some of the pitfalls an inventor can have in attempting to earn the profits from his intellect.  Such as fate may also befall Rossi.  

 

 

Interactions of charged particles on surfaces (pdf)

Interactions of charged particles on surfaces Nabil M. Lawandya_ Department of Physics and Division of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02903, USA _Received 5 October 2009; accepted 11 November 2009; published online 7 December 2009

Charges of the same polarity bound to a surface with a large dielectric contrast exhibit an attractive long-range Coulomb interaction, which leads to a two-particle bound state. Ensembles of like charges experience a collective long-range interaction, which results in compacted structures with interparticle separations that can be orders of magnitude smaller than the equilibrium separation of
the pair potential minimum. Simulations indicate that ensembles of surface bound nuclei, such as D or T, exhibit separations small enough to result in significant rates of fusion.
 

Significant rates of fusion.  A theory for low energy nuclear reactions?

In conclusion, it has been shown that a system of like
charges can bind on the surface of a high dielectric constant
interface leading to new two-dimensional charged species or
ions with the possibility of having bosonic properties in the
ground state.

This is over my head.  The reason this got my attention was that one of the videos that I have watched on the subject discussed "cold fusion" as a surface phenomenon.  This paper looks like it fits in with that observation.

Morning Summary, 7/3

Several hours late this morning. I've been a bit busy doing the usual Sunday chores, but that isn't enough to cause this. Sure, my enthusiasm is waning. There was somebody who contacted me on email about possibly advertising on this site, but the timing is not so good. Now is not a good time. The best time would have been when readership was increasing. It is going down now, and the ecat is the only thing keeping it going.

Hopefully, the ecat can come through and this blog can be on the forefront of that news. That would be a miracle. You know how it goes. The big guys will swoop down and take all the oxygen from a little blog like this as soon as this thing becomes a real media sensation. Nobody will come here or to any other blog that is supporting the idea even though it isn't mainstream. As soon as it goes mainstream, they will got the mainstream blogs, even though none of them are supporting this now. But one can always hope.

The Evening Wrap, 7/2

I don't think I had an E-cat post today. I did look around and found an article on Free Energy Truth. But a video is nicer to watch and hear, so I swiped this one



Thanks for coming by. Have a great evening.