Real Mass Driver prototype

Z

ZekeSulastin

Spaceman
:confused: Wow - I too want one of these ... mebbe I'll get to play with one at West Point ...

(On a similar note, isn't it great how much time and resources we humans expend trying to find new and better ways to kill each other? ...)
 
Bob McDob

Bob McDob

Better Health Through Less Flavor
As interesting (and deadly) as this is, I'm probably more interested in the civillian applications of the mass driver - its potential in space colonization, for instance (boosting resources up from the moon or somesuch). This sort of thing has been sorely neglected in recent years - maybe after the "gee-whiz-bang" appeal wears off in the military we'll see some of it, much like nuclear power plants.
 
A

AKAImBatman

Spaceman
Delance said:
What would a neutron gun do? Put neutrom bomb ammo inside normal guns?
Click to expand...

A neutron gun would probably fire bursts of Neutron Radiation or super-small particles of Neutronium. Neutron Radiation is a type of radiation that consists entirely of high energy neutrons. Since neutrons have no charge to speak of, they are very difficult to deflect and have devastating consequences on anything they strike. Many fusion reactor experiments have only been designed to run for a few seconds before the powerful neutron flux literally destroys the load bearing structure of the reactor. The destructive power of this radiation is utilized in Neutron Bombs to completely destroy living tissue while leaving sufficient structural integritiy in surrounding buildings and cities.

Neutronium, OTOH, is a theoretical, super dense substance that is formed at the center of neutron stars. This material is so dense, that a teaspoon of it would weigh ~100 million metric tons! As you can imagine, *if* this material exists, and *if* it can be kept stable outside of the pressures of a neutron star, it could be used to make amazingly powerful microparticle bullets.
 
A

AKAImBatman

Spaceman
Bob McDob said:
As interesting (and deadly) as this is, I'm probably more interested in the civillian applications of the mass driver - its potential in space colonization, for instance (boosting resources up from the moon or somesuch).
Click to expand...

Most of NASA's plans for mining and/or launching off of the moon or asteroids involves the use of mass drivers. The only current issue is that NASA hasn't sent anything larger than a probe beyond LEO for 30 years.

This sort of thing has been sorely neglected in recent years - maybe after the "gee-whiz-bang" appeal wears off in the military we'll see some of it, much like nuclear power plants.
Click to expand...

It hasn't really been neglected. It just hasn't been practical for anything space related. Similar technology is used in Maglev trains and will be used for future carrier catapults, but for earth based rocket launches you have the problem that:

1. You'd squish the people inside from massive acceleration.
2. Air resistance would take back most of the gains achieved by a magnetic launch.
 
Delance

Delance

Victory, you say?
But if you put a neutron ammo inside a gun and shoots it, it's a neutron gun.

Well, maybe not, because using silver ammo to attack werewolves does not a siver gun make.

But then again, how do you call a gun that shoots neutron ammo? If it's a normal gun, nothins unusual. But if its a special gun that only shoots neutron ammo, then you have a neutron gun.
 
Bob McDob

Bob McDob

Better Health Through Less Flavor
AKAImBatman said:
Most of NASA's plans for mining and/or launching off of the moon or asteroids involves the use of mass drivers. The only current issue is that NASA hasn't sent anything larger than a probe beyond LEO for 30 years.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I was referring to. Hopefully NASA's new project will keep them occupied long enough for them to set something like that up.
 
M

MamiyaOtaru

Spaceman
It's an interesting read (if you like marketspeak) but the mooment he claims there will be no recoil is the moment it becomes obvious the man has not a clue. I wouldn't hold my breath on this one.

If a projectile flies off in one direction, the gun has an equal and opposite force applied to it in the opposite direction, regardless of how the projectile was accelerated.

Add to this the difficulty in aiming up or down (the thing is a large gyroscope. Having a second wheel spinning the opposite direction would cancel out this gyroscopic resistance, but would put tremendous force on whatever was holding the two wheels together any time you tried to move it.

Consider next the musket balls it fires. No rifling, no barrel even. Better yet, you'll have the balls rolling along the inner surface of the wheel before they are released, and you'll end up with a wicked slice, or some good old ping pong english. The thing would be bending it like Beckham.

It will take a load of power to get that much mass up and spinning, and to keep it spinning thanks to the air friction that would have to be present since the thing will be open to the air (the balls have to exit somewhere).

If its structural integrity is breached.. oops. Metal balls flying out in all directions and a thousand feet per second (or much much more if the "inventor" is to be believed")

Sure some of these may be overcome, but I doubt it will be by someone who doesn't believe in the law of conservation of momentum.

I'm seeing a use for such a thing launching something into orbit long before I can see it being used as a machine gun :)
 
D

"Dart"

Spaceman
AKAImBatman said:
Neutronium, OTOH, is a theoretical, super dense substance that is formed at the center of neutron stars. This material is so dense, that a teaspoon of it would weigh ~100 million metric tons! As you can imagine, *if* this material exists, and *if* it can be kept stable outside of the pressures of a neutron star, it could be used to make amazingly powerful microparticle bullets.
Click to expand...

The problems associated with shooting neutronium would be too great for it to be used. Neutron stars are so dense that its gravitational pull is incredibly powerful. So if you had that inside your ship, your ship would probably implode. :eek: Also, Imagine trying to overcome inertia with that stuff!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top