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WG3K > ANS 31.03.24 17:00l 33 Lines 2106 Bytes #148 (0) @ AMSAT
BID : $ANS091.8
Read: GUEST
Subj: Satellite Shorts from All Over
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Sent: 240331/1358Z 2658@WG3K.#SMD.MD.USA.NOAM LinBPQ6.0.24
Shields up! On October 19, 1989, a monstrous X13 class solar flare
triggered a geomagnetic storm so strong that auroras lit up the skies
worldwide the following day. Had you been flying around the Moon at that
time, you would have absorbed a dose that would most likely kill you within
a month or so. This is why the Orion spacecraft that is supposed to take
humans on a Moon fly-by mission this year has a heavily shielded storm
shelter for the crew. But shelters like that arenâ€Öt sufficient for a flight
to Mars. To obtain protection comparable to what we enjoy on Earth would
require hundreds of tons of material, and that's simply not possible in
orbit. The primary alternativeâ€öusing active shields that deflect charged
particles just like the Earthâ€Ös magnetic field doesâ€öwas first proposed in
the 1960s. Today, weâ€Öre finally close to making it work. Fascinating full
article at https://bit.ly/3PANp67 (ANS thanks ARS Technica for the above
information.)
Not an April Fool's joke: The U.S. Army has conducted a series of
experiments, beginning in 1904 and continuing into the 1970s, on using
trees as shortwave antennas. "It would seem that living vegetation may play
a more important part in electrical phenomena than has been generally
supposed. If, as indicated... in these experiments, the earth surface is
already generously provided with efficient antennas which we have but to
utilize for communications." For complete details on how to turn the oak in
your yard into a radiator for the 60 meter band, there's a 55-page
scientific paper at https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/AD0742230.pdf (ANS
thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.)
I've been workin' on the railroad: Northrop Grumman Corporation was
selected this month by DARPA to further develop the concept of building a
moon-based railroad network as part of the broader 10-year Lunar
Architecture Capability Study. The envisioned lunar railroad network could
transport humans, supplies and resources for commercial ventures across the
lunar surface. (ANS thanks The Orbital Index for the above information.)
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