superconductive turbo jets!?

[oker59]

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=22566<br /><br />Hey, get up to sixty thousand miles, then its only forty thousand the rest of the way; make a high lift airplane with this new engine technology and bring a rocket as the payload . . . maybe even some more room to spare. <br /><br />Shoot, maybe even the commercial suborbitals could get up to orbit and beyond with this new engine technologies!

 

[oker59]

an idea that just came to me is the use of superconductive magnets as a reentry shield; it's not all required to use heavy materials to get up into orbit, but back, but if we use this superconductive magnetic technologies as a reentry shield, then, the commercial space companies can open up the space frontier!

 

[MeteorWayne]

I'm not sure a magnetic field would deflect the heat. It might deflect the plasma. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[bpfeifer]

Let's not forget that "high-temperature superconductor" is still a reletive term. We're still talking about a maximum temperature of −135 °C. I don't see how this will be useable on reentry.<br /><br />For more basic info, check the wikipedia article:<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-temperature_superconductor <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Brian J. Pfeifer http://sabletower.wordpress.com<br /> The Dogsoldier Codex http://www.lulu.com/sabletower<br /> </div>

 

[kelvinzero]

Ive always liked the idea of beamed power propulsion from satellites<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beam-powered_propulsion<br />I read somewhere possibly in that link that microwaves can be converted to electricity with 90% efficiency.<br /><br />So an electric plane such as discussed here could stay aloft indefinitely and not carry any explosive fuel or create any polution. There are several schemes for launching to orbit too. In the meantime it motivates a large space industry.

 

[bpfeifer]

I've seen video of lasers beaming power to keep a model airplane aloft. The challenge was keeping the laser on target. This will be one of the greatest challenges for beaming power to any aircraft. Not impossible, just challenging.<br /><br />With a microwave, you have to be careful not to cook any unintended tragets; birds, people, small ponds...<br /><br />Even so, microwave beams have great potential for transmitting energy, and are commonly suggested for tranmitting power from orbiting solar collectors. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Brian J. Pfeifer http://sabletower.wordpress.com<br /> The Dogsoldier Codex http://www.lulu.com/sabletower<br /> </div>

 

[kelvinzero]

Yes I dont think it is any problem with the technology, or at least not ones that will be hard to solve. If we ever figure out a cost effective way of building those solar satellites, eg moon materials, then electric planes will surely take off <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /> <br /><br />Also I think they might be quite beautiful objects in flight. I imagine them lit by several beams at once that change as one satellite passes responsibility over to another. Sort of like that solar tower someone linked to recently. <br />Here it is:<br />http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6616651.stm