Elon Musk Proposes Semi-Ballistic Global Transport
My thoughts on the Subject
Some time ago Elon Musk said that the permitting process for his projects was very difficult. I can relate. Government is in the business of saying NO, that's what they do. Jumping thru all the hoops and overcoming all the obstacles that government puts in your path is more difficult that doing the job. That was my experience as a heavy haul trucker. The easy part was doing the job...the hard part was keeping all of the infinite government bureaucrats happy.
In fact I once had a police officer tell me that us heavy haul truckers were getting TOO good at following the rules. He said they'd have to change them so that we'd break some laws. Oddly enough that's exactly what happened.
But I digress.
It occurs to me that 'offshore'...oh...a few miles...maybe ten or twenty...perhaps further...there are quite a few LESS zoneing laws. It seems to me that outside of the jurisdiction of a city, a county, perhaps even the state...there are a whole lot LESS hoops to jump thru.
Not only that..but there's all that water...just sitting there....and sunlight.
The world’s largest floating solar farm is producing energy
The chinese are already producing energy from floating solar panels. What's to stop Elon musk from providing solar power to his semi-ballistic launch/landing barges. I bet Elon knows just the guy to provide him with Solar Panels...
One of his many companies makes them
Imagine that.
There's an odd thing about water. It's not called H2O for nothing. Water is the ash of the combustion of Hydrogen and Oxygen.
All it takes is a little bit of electricity to electrolyze water
then you have Hydrogen and Oxygen... (and some other stuff...who know how valuable THAT might be?)
All that water...all that sunlight...doesn't cost him anything to make his rocket fuel....outside of the jurisdiction of those pesky government officials..
So MANY wins!
I am humbled by this sentence.
Also, good thinking!
why humbled?
it's nothing more than the truth.
and the reason I always LOL when someone claims to have an engine that will 'run on water'
I am humbled because you demonstrate such remarkable competence in crafting prose with the emotive impact of exceptional verse.
You wrote it good, the simple truth.
ah...well thanx.
so what do you think of the concept?
note: efficiency is irrelevant...the supply (of sunlight) is endless. It can thus be used to break water down into it's component parts, then liquify them for use as rocket fuel....on site...just yards from the 'end user'.....
Zero environmental impact.
I think it's an excellent example of the kinds of cross pollination Musk well has exemplified in his commercial endeavors. Exactly the kinds of development we can unabashedly support in the process of transforming industry from the worst killer of life on Earth to the best augmentation of robust, fecund ecosystems.
tl;dr I like it. The production of water vapor through burning H2 as fuel can even be considered as a way to counter global warming to pander to climate alarmists!
Never fear...I'm sure that the climate alarmists will find something to whine about.
TPTB will do most anything to get a global tax authority, like a carbon tax.
HydrOx rockets don't produce any carbon.
just water vapor
china eating the world
not half bad with enough Soy Sauce
hahahahaha
Due to my engineering and scientific acumen being on a par with a lump of basalt, I'm not qualified to comment.
But I'm going to do it anyway!
It seems to me (off subject a tad), but with the sheer amount of energy stored in the waters of this world - if the desire to harness it was really there- energy scarcity could be a thing of the past.
Which is obviously not a good thing for governments and trying to control people..
water is ash.
there is no energy stored.
however..it can be 'un-ashed' by the application of energy
electrolysis.
THEN there is 'energy stored' .
One of the most energetic physical reactions commonly known actually.
Hydrogen makes GOOD rocket fuel.
I thought in the bond holding the the two molecules together - was a large amount of energy...?
Am i wrong on this one? (not a surprise)
when hydrogen is burned (oxidized) it releases a YUGE amount of energy...relatively speaking.
it's called an EXO thermic chemical reaction.
it takes that same amount of energy to break the bond thus created.
ah -is that where the pesky little equation of free energy keeps falling down?
(this is me trying to sound clever about something I know bugger all about, really)
the rest is still something something darkside....
in physics..NOTHING is free...someone (or something) always pays.
that pesky law of thermodynamics.
Ah! AH! I was correct in my hypothesis........mmmm....
Maybe I should write a paper.
Breaking news.....
something something rocket fuel. got it.
Good post and wonderful thinking ,upvoted