Space Shuttle Return To Flight

[Paratus]

updated

 

[Armitage]

Congrats! :thumbsup:
Good luck on the rest of the mission.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: Armitage

Originally posted by: unipidity
Doesnt a tether just use KE already generated, ie a power converter, not a source?

Yes, anyt energy you get from a tether comes out of your orbital energy.

In which case is it going to be vastly more efficient of simple than a fuel cell?

Tether dynamics are pretty freaky and there is alot of concern about them in the debris community.

I was under the belief that a tether power supply would not subtract from orbital energy, if geosynchronous. The tether connects 2 points in space with different voltage potentials, due to the earth's magnetic field. Different potential + Conductor = Voltage. "Moving a wire through a mag field" need not apply.

Although not a perpetual motion machine, any penalties would be minor, as long as the orbit is high enough. Coupled with an ion drive, this could kick butt.

I might be totally, totally wrong.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler

Originally posted by: Armitage

Originally posted by: unipidity
Doesnt a tether just use KE already generated, ie a power converter, not a source?

Yes, anyt energy you get from a tether comes out of your orbital energy.

In which case is it going to be vastly more efficient of simple than a fuel cell?

Tether dynamics are pretty freaky and there is alot of concern about them in the debris community.

I was under the belief that a tether power supply would not subtract from orbital energy, if geosynchronous. The tether connects 2 points in space with different voltage potentials, due to the earth's magnetic field. Different potential + Conductor = Voltage. "Moving a wire through a mag field" need not apply.

Although not a perpetual motion machine, any penalties would be minor, as long as the orbit is high enough. Coupled with an ion drive, this could kick butt.

I might be totally, totally wrong.

You can't get a current by laying a stationary conductor across a magnetic field.

 

[Paratus]

Updated