AO-Sulfure-SE

[Moses2k]

If you use the centrifugal force to create artifical gravity, you can build a lake and a dam in space and use the power from the solar panels to pump the water back up, effectively turning it into an energy storage system. Hydroelectric power with no river or rainfall. Even for dams on earth energy storage is an important function. Some can even pump water back up in times of excess power. Or as Moses says, use a solar boiler. You might even co-operate it as galactic distiller.

I'm pretty sure it rains in space though, Nasa talks about space weather pretty often.

A radioistope thermal generator would at all times be considered too dangerous to be used in a space station i think, the risk is amplified by the fact that it's a small contained environment. And you have no control over it's power output, which is also either low to begin with or decreasing fast, because it's a tradeoff of power output vs halflife.

When 50% eff solar sells are common, fusion power will be a peice of cake too. But you'd still need a place to store all that heavy water.

I also think MjrHurtz original idea, although effective, may be quite dangerous in the long term. After all the star's gravity has been used up, there won't be any left to hold it together and it will explode. That's not something you want to accelerate. Spacegreenpeace would protest too. It'd work on black holes, when they're not sucking in stars and nebulae across your path.

Phalanx isn't a 'small' space station. A radioistope generator does not generate critical amounts of radiation...and there are many currently available materials to half the rad dosage for well under a cm of material.

Deuterium-Tritium or Deuterium-Deuterium are not optimal reactions in the sense that they have 80% & 68% neutronicity, respectively. And as far as shielding...duh...store the heavy water around the reactor as an elastic neutron catcher. He3-He3 and He3-Deuterium would be optimal. Start baloon-mining Neptune now!

You're joking about the space rain, right? RIGHT?

Plutonium love you long time.

And what the fuck is a 'galactic distiller'?

[Pestcontrol]

A galactic distiller is using a solar boiler not just to move water, but also to distill large amounts of alcoholic beverage in the same process.

As for a radioisotope generator, you can't shut it down, and you cannot guarantee that the shielding will be there at all times, that makes it inherently dangerous. Even with current nuclear reactors there is a move to inherently safe designs such as PB(M)R's, so why use such a design in an environment where safety is critical, and small size, simplicity and high power-to-weight less important?

Not to mention the size of the facilities you'd need in order to produce enough material for a radioisotope generator with a power output of spacestation proportion.

And fusion reactors don't have to be optimal, i'm well aware that the better fuels are harder to come by, but it's nice to have a heavy water lake behind a dam, right? Hell, toss in O-18, and a pinch of salt, you beat the dead sea and your dam's power output will increase as a bonus. Even space stations have to set themselves apart. If i were a tourist in the future, i'd love visit the space dam.

And do i ever joke? You know me.

Then again we do have 200 odd tons of excess plutonium on earth right now.

[MjrHuRTz]

I find it scary that you people CARE so much. I mean jeez.

[Exo-Warrior]

And do i ever joke? You know me.

1) Yes you bloody well do.

2) I don't think we do. No! Not at all. Don't know you. Never heard of you.

[UArchitect]

of course we care, we space dams, and we you too!

[MjrHuRTz]

you too!

[Exo-Warrior]

We you long time!

[Moses2k]

Not guaranteed shielding? Whatchu talking about? Put the reactor as far as feasible from the hab areas, as radiation falls off following the inverse square law...then put whatever amount of shielding is necessary to lower the rads to a lifetime-safe level.

Heavy water shouldn't be part of the CELSS. It's hazardous to hunams. And yes...for spacestation power production, you'd want something with scalable output.

That said...fix me up a Space Whiskey.

[Pestcontrol]

Keeping it at a distance or shielded doesn't keep the radioactive material from travelling. And no doubt you are well aware that unauthorised travel of radioactive material is exactly what nuclear accidents are all about. Nuclear accidents is my favourite wikipedia page, the early ones defy common sense so much it's funny. That said, Syntek would probably go for it being the sadists they are.

Also, heavy water isn't that poisonous, if you read http://rparticle.web-p.cisti.nrc.ca/...5&calyLang=eng i'd say it's safe to swim in. Just don't drink too much of it, like seawater. Salting it for extra floatyness to dead sea levels (with potassium salt of course) would help keeping people from swallowing it. And it'd be a like a goddamn mercury bath, with maxium power density in your dam reservoir.

However, given it's effects of stronger bonds and the resulting enzyme disruption, prolongued skin exposure may have unknown undesireable results.

And yeah, double Space Whiskey for me too please.

[Moses2k]

Keeping it at a distance or shielded doesn't keep the radioactive material from travelling.

Umm...actually, yes...yes it does. It keeps it from travelling concentrated into hab areas.

Who's gonna receive a bigger dose?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....||**

!! ***

(Bruce Campbell symbolizes raw nuclear power, in this diagram)

Also...if that's your favorite Wikipedia page, then you, sir, are a sick bastard.

[Phantaloz]

I find it scary that you people CARE so much. I mean jeez.

They're making a scientific breakthrough soon, do not disturb!

And yes, we you too much

[Bucchus]

Erm, here's my really-really-not-good-at-physics opinion:

If the star in Hurtz's diagram is the main gravity thing which collects the water in the diagram's "up", how if you'd let it gather all the water in the "up" section first, then move the station so it turns "upside down" (no idea if that'd require too much energy for it to be useful) and then the star would be located in the opposite end and the gravity would draw the water to the other end through the turbines? And so on. You could even have double turbines both directions this way. There'd have to be some gates of course and when the water is let loose (no puns please) in the optimal position it's going to to stress the structures surely in the long run...

(I think I'll just stick to nitpicking culture, movies and games and books and the like I'm more comfortable with )

[Pestcontrol]

Yes, you should stick to your emogothic avatar and it's associated intellectual challenges. Nice idea about the revolving space station though, i take it you mean something like a giant hourglass in orbit with a turbine at the center? Might work.

Moses: George Michael, sick bastard, Pestcontrol, what's the difference. You don't know half of it, be glad you don't idle on irc. I like being able to find humour where other people only see very different things. It seems i don't share that talent with many people though.

[Moses2k]

You are perhaps aware, Bucchus, that extracting the momentum from the turbine would slow the station rotation down each time? Guys...hydroelectric turbines in space...bad idea...get over it.

[Pestcontrol]

But what about the dam in Phalanx?