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Helium is expensive and practically non-renewable on Earth. It forms slowly by beta decay, with most of it escaping into space (because it's molecular mass is s

by gnode 7y ago

Helium is expensive and practically non-renewable on Earth. It forms slowly by beta decay, with most of it escaping into space (because it's molecular mass is so low, its velocity commonly exceeds Earth's escape velocity). A small amount gets trapped in deposits which we can extract.

salawat 7y ago
Hydrogen will have issues supply-wise if we kick into industrial scale processes with high loss rates without some way to ensure the gas recombines with Oxygen to precipitate as water again. Which at the operating heights being suggested, would be problematic. Furthermore, what about all that waste Oxygen from Hydrolysis? We already run into issues with water without cracking water vapor and venting hydrogen into the atmosphere at scale. I shudder at the thought of unconstrained industry being cut loose with the idea that we have an essentially limitless supply without sitting down to really figure out the numbers. Never mind the maintenance issues. High levels of electrical generation/storage +volatile gas generator? What could possibly go wrong? Hydrogen embrittlement, high level of oxidative stress, increased radiation exposure... Mean-time-to-failure is not giving the magic 8 ball warm fuzzies. Could be super neat for meteorological/astronomical purposes/reconnaissance purposes though. I can see the international incidents rolling in now. "North Korea protests American Weather Baloons" "Russia introduces new anti-balloon laser" "China threatens Taiwan over balloon based infrastructure" Unfortunately, I wouldn't put it passed ad companies to utilize this "exciting new breakthrough in audience outreach" as well. I'd really like to look at this kind of stuff how I used to as a kid again. Too much time in the tech industry has absolutely ruined my outlook however.
- gnode 7y ago
  I'm not exactly sure what it is you're decrying. That we'll lose a significant quantity of Earth's hydrogen to space, leaving the atmosphere with too much oxygen? That we'll suffer a water shortage because we're using too much of it to make hydrogen? That nations will increasingly ignore other nations' aerospace sovereignty because balloons are filled with hydrogen instead of helium? Hydrogen is still expensive to split from water, and the quantities required for deleterious effects to present are so high, that these are really distantly hypothetical "what ifs".

by gnode 7y ago

salawat 7y ago

Hydrogen will have issues supply-wise if we kick into industrial scale processes with high loss rates without some way to ensure the gas recombines with Oxygen to precipitate as water again. Which at the operating heights being suggested, would be problematic. Furthermore, what about all that waste Oxygen from Hydrolysis? We already run into issues with water without cracking water vapor and venting hydrogen into the atmosphere at scale. I shudder at the thought of unconstrained industry being cut loose with the idea that we have an essentially limitless supply without sitting down to really figure out the numbers. Never mind the maintenance issues. High levels of electrical generation/storage +volatile gas generator? What could possibly go wrong? Hydrogen embrittlement, high level of oxidative stress, increased radiation exposure... Mean-time-to-failure is not giving the magic 8 ball warm fuzzies. Could be super neat for meteorological/astronomical purposes/reconnaissance purposes though. I can see the international incidents rolling in now. "North Korea protests American Weather Baloons" "Russia introduces new anti-balloon laser" "China threatens Taiwan over balloon based infrastructure" Unfortunately, I wouldn't put it passed ad companies to utilize this "exciting new breakthrough in audience outreach" as well. I'd really like to look at this kind of stuff how I used to as a kid again. Too much time in the tech industry has absolutely ruined my outlook however.

gnode 7y ago
I'm not exactly sure what it is you're decrying. That we'll lose a significant quantity of Earth's hydrogen to space, leaving the atmosphere with too much oxygen? That we'll suffer a water shortage because we're using too much of it to make hydrogen? That nations will increasingly ignore other nations' aerospace sovereignty because balloons are filled with hydrogen instead of helium? Hydrogen is still expensive to split from water, and the quantities required for deleterious effects to present are so high, that these are really distantly hypothetical "what ifs".