Posted by bobbapink on Jun 01, 2002 at 12:40
(208.58.228.144)
First this - hi all! Been busy but it's now a lax day so i've a bit of time to read and post. I was struck by Dan's, ADK's and S.Man's debate regarding ice on Mars. This struck me in particular...
Southern Man sez...
5. It is wishful thinking to imagine that just because you have water that you now have everything you need to travel through out the solar system. We have lots of water here on earth. It isn’t all that easy to convert it to a rocket fuel even with all the equipment we have here. To imagine you will just wave a magic wand and use a dim light source and ship in whatever equipment you need to turn water into rocket wine is wishful thinking.
Indeed, it is wishful thinking. Other than water, you also need a bit of plutonium, a bit of luck, and a lot of will.
Keeping it simple, I propose we send a ship capable of boring a well to an abundant water source (ice really, I guess) and then installing an unshielded (i.e. light) pebble-bed nuclear reactor in the borehole. This should supply an abundant amount steam - which could then be converted to energy to crack the water into its constituent parts.
Re: But on further genuflection... bobbapink 02/6 10:38
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