3 ms·
I'm pretty sure aerographite is porous, and the numbers you're quoting don't count the mass of the air permeating the aerographite. You could wrap it in somethi
by ggreer 13y ago
I'm pretty sure aerographite is porous, and the numbers you're quoting don't count the mass of the air permeating the aerographite. You could wrap it in something like mylar, but it'd be less safe than helium. Any break in the skin would be like a hole in a space capsule. This could be ameliorated with smaller cells, but that cuts into your lift. It's also not clear if aerographite is strong enough for the job.
To make something as safe and reliable as you describe, you'd have to build an evacuated closed-cell foam. That material would have to be extremely light while also being able to withstand being crushed by the atmosphere. It's not clear if anything is up to the task.
Sorry to dash your hopes.
- judegomila 13y agoAgreed. It would need another material wrapping it or a better aerogel, those materials probably don't exist yet.
- marshray 13y agoPerhaps you could fill it with hydrogen? I'm not sure if that's a joke or not. Hydrogen in a closed-cell matrix seems like it would be a lot better contained and stable than in a bag-of-gas like the Hindenberg. But this stuff is open-cell, so perhaps seal it into manageable-size beads? Looks like it might hold up to temperature pretty well. Alternatively, this stuff could be used to produce a lighter-than-air structure in a process that somehow consumes it.
- lmm 13y agoYou don't want your hydrogen contained, you want to be able to vent it quickly in case of fire.
- lostlogin 13y agoWow - I would have thought that risked an even more exciting event with rocket propulsion. Is venting really the standard way?
- marshray 13y agoDuring the whole hydrogen car discussion, it was said that hydrogen contained in a matrix was much safer because it would burn in a controlled fire rather than an explosion. Venting hydrogen quickly into an oxygen-rich atmosphere would be silly.