Robotbeat

9 ms·

121.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Pretty sure you can guess a few.
122.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Nuclear thermal was killed for pretty good reasons, one of which is the focus on nuclear-electric instead, which is better for this mission (along with a strong push by a refueled chemical stage in high Earth orbit).
123.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
This is just untrue, and you’ve provided no citation, either. The silicon gates in GPUs just don’t wear out like that, not at that timescale. The only thing that sort of does is SSDs (and that’s a write limit, which has existed for decades,
124.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
It’s not, actually. I’ve swung my kids around at multiple gees.
125.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Yeah, “just.” Every child on a merry go round experiences it. Every car driving on a curve. And Gemini tested it once as well. It’s a basic feature of physics. Now why NASA hasn’t decided to implement it in decades is actually kind of a mys
126.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
The heat load is equal to the load from the solar panels, to first order. So actually yeah, you CAN compare the size of solar panels to the size of the radiators.
127.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Then just provide spin gravity for the crew habitat.
128.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Well sure. If you think fully reusable rockets won’t ever happen, then the datacenter in space thing isn’t viable. But THAT’S where the problem is, not innumerate bullcrap about size of radiators. (And of course, the mostly reusable Falcon
129.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
This is false. It’s pretty straightforward to prove using Stefan-Boltzmann. Radiating from both sides at 300K, a square radiator that’s 1 meter on a side emits 920W. Additionally, you wouldn’t use cutting edge 35% triple junction cells for
130.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
You need less batteries in orbit than on the ground since you're only in shade for at most like 40 minutes. And it's all far more predictable. Cooling isn't actually any more difficult than on Earth. You use large radiators a
131.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
You mean like every single kitchen?
132.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Bingo. It's all contingent on a factor of 100-1000x reduction in launch costs, and a lot of the objections to the idea don't really engage with that concept. That's a cost comparable to air travel (both air freight and passen
133.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
If mass is going to be as cheap as is needed for this to work anyway, there's no reason you can't just use people like in a normal datacenter.
134.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Radiation is not actually a problem unless you're trying to do super high power nuclear electric propulsion (i.e. in your videogame). Classic armchair engineer mistake, tbh. Radiators work great in space. Stefan-Boltzmann's law. T
135.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Except a thermos has a really low emissivity, otherwise (if it had high emissivity), it’d be a poor insulator due to thermal radiation, the same reason why ISS’s radiators are much smaller than its solar panels.
136.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
This isn’t true. The radiators on ISS are MUCH smaller than the solar panels. I know it’s every single armchair engineer’s idea that heat rejection is this impossible problem in space, but your own example of ISS proves this is untrue. Radi
137.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Note that Saturn several stages on the test stand like this.
138.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
It was one of the COPVs (nitrogen, I think).
139.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
And Ludicrous Mode. And The Boring Company (Not A) Flamethrower.
140.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Since the article opening sentence and headline don’t say it: The breakthrough is the plasma “triple product,” literally just the plasma temperature (in keV) times particle density times (confinement) time. The Lawson Criterion. https:&#x2
141.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Large telescopes do have defense applications: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Surveillance_Telescope Space_Surveillance_Telescope (3.5m aperture, run by the Space Force). https://en.wikipedia.org/w
142.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Steve Mould has a great vibe. Combination of a sort of subdued humility and intelligence.
143.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Yeah, although again, the error bars are too large to say with certainty this was pre-Columbus. But it really wouldn’t surprise me. As others pointed out, the Inuit traveled across the Bering Strait into what is now Russia many times pre-Co
144.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
It benefits quite a bit as you can use its equity for retirement.
145.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
And somehow you think your perspective is the only one out in the job market and everything else doesn’t make any sense
146.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Part of the reason employees are reticent to hire someone past 50 is before they worry they’ll retire soon, even if they’re mentally and physically in good shape. So increasing the retirement age might actually improve the ability of folks
147.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Bingo. That is the problem.
148.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
For the vast majority of the upper middle class, it probably is. Think of all the millionaires in California who are millionaires because they bought their houses 40 years ago and managed to control the supply of housing since then.
149.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
In fact, it’s the middle and upper class, whose largest asset is their home, who keep it illegal to build more housing.
150.
by Robotbeat 1y ago
Everyone wants to think it’s BlackRock instead of the reality that the reason housing shortages exist is to protect the retirement nest egg of Boomers, ie their house equity, by making it effectively illegal to build housing. Sorry to say i

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