In the first decades of space exploration several concepts appeared for utilizing nuclear energy ... more In the first decades of space exploration several concepts appeared for utilizing nuclear energy in space. However, only a few of them were developed into actual instruments. Radioisotope powered batteries and heating units have been regularly used in automatized space probes since then. Small nuclear reactors were also launched into space in the Cold War era, but the hazards finally proved to be too great compared to the benefits. Nuclear propulsion systems were also developed in the USA (NERVA) and in the USSR (RD 0410) but never actually used in a launched spacecraft. The concept of a radioisotope powered thermal rocket engine also existed, but the initial experiments revealed several problems, so the concept was set aside. Nuclear energy in space Cascade decaying isotopes Outline of a possible implementation of the THOR engine (Thorium-228 isotope powered thermal rocket engine). The body of the engine could be made of tantalum-hafnium carbide ceramic, which has a melting point at 4260 K-this material allows high working temperatures (3300-3600 K) while effectively absorbing the radiation of the source. The hydrogen propellant leaves the nozzle at a speed of 10 km/sec at this temperature. Adding a small amount of hydrocarbons to the propellant material prevents the chemical wear of the engine parts by the hot hydrogen gas flowing through them.
Due to the recently growing interest regarding the future colonization of Mars, an increasing num... more Due to the recently growing interest regarding the future colonization of Mars, an increasing number of plans have appeared in the last few years to fulfil the need for a safe habitat for the first Martian colonists. Numerous fanciful design ideas have been presented at competitions held by NASA and other space research organizations. However, our thorough investigation reveals that most designs suffer from shortcomings, and are either difficult to realize or do not meet the safety requirements of the Martian missions, for example, shielding against radiation or impacting particles, protection against decompression and freezing temperatures. After analysing the problems of safety and feasibility, we tried to design a habitat that is realizable-taking into account the cargo capacity of the spacecraft of the near future and the use of materials locally available on Mars. A further requirement for our design was that the pioneers' habitat should not be a tiny, prison-like lair, but a spacious, liveable and safe living area, which is suitable for continuous habitation. The frame of our design is an inflatable structure, which is supplied with the proper shielding and insulation by locally available materials. The special ventilation system and the large greenhouses of this habitat provide the colonists with food, oxygen and liveable space-and perhaps even rocket propellant materials.
Due to the recently growing interest regarding the future colonization of Mars, an increasing num... more Due to the recently growing interest regarding the future colonization of Mars, an increasing number of plans appeared in the last few years to fulfil the need for a safe habitat for the first Martian colonists. Numerous fanciful design ideas presented on competitions held by NASA and other space research organizations. However our detailed study revealed, that most designs suffer of shortages and either difficult to manifest or does not meet the safety requirements of the first Martian missions, e.g. shielding against radiations or impacting particles. After analysing the problems of safety and feasibility we tried to design a habitat that is realizable taking into account the cargo capacity of the spacecrafts of our near future and the use of the locally available materials of Mars. Further requirement was for our design that the pioneers’ habitat should not be a tiny, prison-like lair, but a spacious, liveable and safe living area, that is suitable for continuous habitation. The frame of our design is an inflatable structure, which is supplied with the proper shielding and insulation by locally available materials. The special ventilation system and the large greenhouses of this habitat is serving the colonists with food, oxygen and liveable space – and even rocket propellant materials.
The following thought experiment is based on two basic assumptions. One of them is that all funda... more The following thought experiment is based on two basic assumptions. One of them is that all fundamental particles – leptons, quarks and bosons – are composite systems, which are held together by a probably yet unknown interaction. The electric charge of the fermions – namely 0, 1/3e, 2/3e, 1e – suggest that the number of their constituents is probably three. We call these constituents as partons. This presumption is sufficient to reconstruct the known particle families, whereas the heavier counterparts of lighter particles can be interpreted as excited states. The other basic assumption is that beside the complex numbers, the quaternion and octonion number systems are perhaps necessary for the perfect description of natural phenomena. We suppose that the three colour charges of the strong interaction and the well-known electromagnetic charge are in fact the three imaginary and the real part of one single quaternion number, a quaternion charge. Based on these two assumptions, by the help of pure logic and some simple physical and mathematical formulas, we can reach several interesting conclusions. In a universe, where the above assumptions are true, the fermions are made of three, while the bosons are made of six partons. Indeed there is a possibility for the existence of a heavy scalar boson, made of twelve partons. By investigating the interactions of these composite particles we have to conclude, that these partons are probably the same particles we know now as gluons. Due to the quaternion nature of charges, and the non-commutativity of quaternions, the interactions of these partons cannot be described by the normal exchange mechanism. Instead of that we have to suppose the existence of a simultaneous multi-particle interaction mechanism, with a chiral nature. This latter mechanism necessitating the existence of the angular momentum of composite particles, the spin. Another consequence of this new interaction mechanism is, that in some particle processes, where the interaction is forced to change direction, the parities of particles are not conserved. The partons seem to be very simple particles: they can be fully described by one single octonion number, an octonion charge. They have no mass, spin, or any other feature. Since partons have no rest mass, the composite particles gain their mass by the kinetic energy of their components. In this view the composite particles – fermions and bosons – are small packages of partons, in which enormous forces are bounding the high energy partons that move at the speed of light. Since the source of the mass of the composite particles can only be the kinetic energy of the massless constituents, in the world of such particles rest mass isn't exist at all. The two components of matter are the energy of partons and the partons themselves – particles, that are characterized by a single number, a piece of information. Such initial conditions are causing an apparent asymmetry in the amount of matter and antimatter, although this asymmetry is only ostensible, as the balance of quaternion charges shed a new light on the problem. Nevertheless, in the partonic world the reactions and decay modes of composite particles would be identical to that of the observed world. The self-organizing nature of particles by the manifesting forces can be followed to the formation of atomic nuclei and atoms. Nevertheless, the neutrinos – made of three gluons – would have only imaginary characteristics, making them to be the strangest members of the particle families.
Simple experimental method was developed to examine magnetic self-assembly of macroscopic magneti... more Simple experimental method was developed to examine magnetic self-assembly of macroscopic magnetic spheres of 3mm and 5mm diameters in the lack of external magnetic field. Magnetic force driven aggregation was followed up by video recording and was analysed in detail to identify the processes that lead to the creation of clusters (chains, pairs, circles, etc). Self-aggregation of randomly distributed single spheres, pairs and triplets were examined with this method as well. Applying several liquid media with different viscosity helped to characterize the aggregation processes regarding the kinetic energy of collisions. The results were compared with results of previous experimental works and computer simulations of aggregation of magnetic nanoparticles and magnetic-dipolar systems. Besides to earlier described rings and chains that represent the lowest potential energy of the system of ideal magnetic dipoles in two dimensions, we observed several other structures during the experiments. The most frequently appearing clusters were investigated by direct minimization of the potential energy function of these structures.
World Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 2017
While experimenting with the more and more popular neodymium magnetic ball sets, the author devel... more While experimenting with the more and more popular neodymium magnetic ball sets, the author developed a method, by which models of atomic nuclei can be created. These macroscopic models visually represent several features of nuclei and nuclear phenomena, which can be a useful mean during the teaching of nuclear physics. Even though such macroscopic models are unable to depict the true quantum physical nature of nuclear processes, they can be much more useful didactically than the previously used disordered sets of balls, to represent the atomic nucleus.
While experimenting with the nowadays more and more popular neodymium magnetic ball sets, the aut... more While experimenting with the nowadays more and more popular neodymium magnetic ball sets, the author developed a method, by which models of atomic nuclei can be created. These macroscopic models visually represent several features of nuclei and nuclear phenomena, which can be a useful mean during the teaching of nuclear physics. Even though such macroscopic models are unable to depict the true quantum physical nature of nuclear processes, they can be much more useful didactically than the previously used disordered sets of balls, to represent the atomic nucleus.
In the first decades of space exploration several concepts appeared for utilizing nuclear energy ... more In the first decades of space exploration several concepts appeared for utilizing nuclear energy in space. However, only a few of them were developed into actual instruments. Radioisotope powered batteries and heating units have been regularly used in automatized space probes since then. Small nuclear reactors were also launched into space in the Cold War era, but the hazards finally proved to be too great compared to the benefits. Nuclear propulsion systems were also developed in the USA (NERVA) and in the USSR (RD 0410) but never actually used in a launched spacecraft. The concept of a radioisotope powered thermal rocket engine also existed, but the initial experiments revealed several problems, so the concept was set aside. Nuclear energy in space Cascade decaying isotopes Outline of a possible implementation of the THOR engine (Thorium-228 isotope powered thermal rocket engine). The body of the engine could be made of tantalum-hafnium carbide ceramic, which has a melting point at 4260 K-this material allows high working temperatures (3300-3600 K) while effectively absorbing the radiation of the source. The hydrogen propellant leaves the nozzle at a speed of 10 km/sec at this temperature. Adding a small amount of hydrocarbons to the propellant material prevents the chemical wear of the engine parts by the hot hydrogen gas flowing through them.
Due to the recently growing interest regarding the future colonization of Mars, an increasing num... more Due to the recently growing interest regarding the future colonization of Mars, an increasing number of plans have appeared in the last few years to fulfil the need for a safe habitat for the first Martian colonists. Numerous fanciful design ideas have been presented at competitions held by NASA and other space research organizations. However, our thorough investigation reveals that most designs suffer from shortcomings, and are either difficult to realize or do not meet the safety requirements of the Martian missions, for example, shielding against radiation or impacting particles, protection against decompression and freezing temperatures. After analysing the problems of safety and feasibility, we tried to design a habitat that is realizable-taking into account the cargo capacity of the spacecraft of the near future and the use of materials locally available on Mars. A further requirement for our design was that the pioneers' habitat should not be a tiny, prison-like lair, but a spacious, liveable and safe living area, which is suitable for continuous habitation. The frame of our design is an inflatable structure, which is supplied with the proper shielding and insulation by locally available materials. The special ventilation system and the large greenhouses of this habitat provide the colonists with food, oxygen and liveable space-and perhaps even rocket propellant materials.
Due to the recently growing interest regarding the future colonization of Mars, an increasing num... more Due to the recently growing interest regarding the future colonization of Mars, an increasing number of plans appeared in the last few years to fulfil the need for a safe habitat for the first Martian colonists. Numerous fanciful design ideas presented on competitions held by NASA and other space research organizations. However our detailed study revealed, that most designs suffer of shortages and either difficult to manifest or does not meet the safety requirements of the first Martian missions, e.g. shielding against radiations or impacting particles. After analysing the problems of safety and feasibility we tried to design a habitat that is realizable taking into account the cargo capacity of the spacecrafts of our near future and the use of the locally available materials of Mars. Further requirement was for our design that the pioneers’ habitat should not be a tiny, prison-like lair, but a spacious, liveable and safe living area, that is suitable for continuous habitation. The frame of our design is an inflatable structure, which is supplied with the proper shielding and insulation by locally available materials. The special ventilation system and the large greenhouses of this habitat is serving the colonists with food, oxygen and liveable space – and even rocket propellant materials.
The following thought experiment is based on two basic assumptions. One of them is that all funda... more The following thought experiment is based on two basic assumptions. One of them is that all fundamental particles – leptons, quarks and bosons – are composite systems, which are held together by a probably yet unknown interaction. The electric charge of the fermions – namely 0, 1/3e, 2/3e, 1e – suggest that the number of their constituents is probably three. We call these constituents as partons. This presumption is sufficient to reconstruct the known particle families, whereas the heavier counterparts of lighter particles can be interpreted as excited states. The other basic assumption is that beside the complex numbers, the quaternion and octonion number systems are perhaps necessary for the perfect description of natural phenomena. We suppose that the three colour charges of the strong interaction and the well-known electromagnetic charge are in fact the three imaginary and the real part of one single quaternion number, a quaternion charge. Based on these two assumptions, by the help of pure logic and some simple physical and mathematical formulas, we can reach several interesting conclusions. In a universe, where the above assumptions are true, the fermions are made of three, while the bosons are made of six partons. Indeed there is a possibility for the existence of a heavy scalar boson, made of twelve partons. By investigating the interactions of these composite particles we have to conclude, that these partons are probably the same particles we know now as gluons. Due to the quaternion nature of charges, and the non-commutativity of quaternions, the interactions of these partons cannot be described by the normal exchange mechanism. Instead of that we have to suppose the existence of a simultaneous multi-particle interaction mechanism, with a chiral nature. This latter mechanism necessitating the existence of the angular momentum of composite particles, the spin. Another consequence of this new interaction mechanism is, that in some particle processes, where the interaction is forced to change direction, the parities of particles are not conserved. The partons seem to be very simple particles: they can be fully described by one single octonion number, an octonion charge. They have no mass, spin, or any other feature. Since partons have no rest mass, the composite particles gain their mass by the kinetic energy of their components. In this view the composite particles – fermions and bosons – are small packages of partons, in which enormous forces are bounding the high energy partons that move at the speed of light. Since the source of the mass of the composite particles can only be the kinetic energy of the massless constituents, in the world of such particles rest mass isn't exist at all. The two components of matter are the energy of partons and the partons themselves – particles, that are characterized by a single number, a piece of information. Such initial conditions are causing an apparent asymmetry in the amount of matter and antimatter, although this asymmetry is only ostensible, as the balance of quaternion charges shed a new light on the problem. Nevertheless, in the partonic world the reactions and decay modes of composite particles would be identical to that of the observed world. The self-organizing nature of particles by the manifesting forces can be followed to the formation of atomic nuclei and atoms. Nevertheless, the neutrinos – made of three gluons – would have only imaginary characteristics, making them to be the strangest members of the particle families.
Simple experimental method was developed to examine magnetic self-assembly of macroscopic magneti... more Simple experimental method was developed to examine magnetic self-assembly of macroscopic magnetic spheres of 3mm and 5mm diameters in the lack of external magnetic field. Magnetic force driven aggregation was followed up by video recording and was analysed in detail to identify the processes that lead to the creation of clusters (chains, pairs, circles, etc). Self-aggregation of randomly distributed single spheres, pairs and triplets were examined with this method as well. Applying several liquid media with different viscosity helped to characterize the aggregation processes regarding the kinetic energy of collisions. The results were compared with results of previous experimental works and computer simulations of aggregation of magnetic nanoparticles and magnetic-dipolar systems. Besides to earlier described rings and chains that represent the lowest potential energy of the system of ideal magnetic dipoles in two dimensions, we observed several other structures during the experiments. The most frequently appearing clusters were investigated by direct minimization of the potential energy function of these structures.
World Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 2017
While experimenting with the more and more popular neodymium magnetic ball sets, the author devel... more While experimenting with the more and more popular neodymium magnetic ball sets, the author developed a method, by which models of atomic nuclei can be created. These macroscopic models visually represent several features of nuclei and nuclear phenomena, which can be a useful mean during the teaching of nuclear physics. Even though such macroscopic models are unable to depict the true quantum physical nature of nuclear processes, they can be much more useful didactically than the previously used disordered sets of balls, to represent the atomic nucleus.
While experimenting with the nowadays more and more popular neodymium magnetic ball sets, the aut... more While experimenting with the nowadays more and more popular neodymium magnetic ball sets, the author developed a method, by which models of atomic nuclei can be created. These macroscopic models visually represent several features of nuclei and nuclear phenomena, which can be a useful mean during the teaching of nuclear physics. Even though such macroscopic models are unable to depict the true quantum physical nature of nuclear processes, they can be much more useful didactically than the previously used disordered sets of balls, to represent the atomic nucleus.
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