From: Mike Rosing <rosing@neurophys.wisc.edu>
Newsgroups: sci.physics.plasma
Subject: Re: Shuttle re-entry and plasma behaviour - solutions
Organization: University of Wisconsin, Madison
References: <b1qv9o$1e5$1@saturn.cs.uml.edu> <b230oh$bhnl$1@saturn.cs.uml.edu> <b29pcm$blmr$1@saturn.cs.uml.edu>

Douglas Kerns wrote:

> I like that idea. How about a chemical reactive barrier (a *flame*)
> deliberately
> induced by a set of little fuel jets? I've heard of attempts to control
> boundary-layer
> flows over wings by blasting little jets of pressurized gas out of
> perforations on the wing.
> I wonder if something similar, but more energetic, could be devised using a
> fueled flame sheath?
>
> Just a thought from someone completely outside the field. I play with
> solid-state stuff,
> mostly silicon.


Gordon D. Pusch wrote:

> Both magnetic and electrostatic plasma control systems have been
studied.
> The power requirements are exorbitant, and the mass of the hardware
exceeds
> even that of the active cooling system that the original Shuttle design
> called for, before Congress subjected it to the Death of a Thousand Cuts,
> Development Slowdowns, and Funding Delays.

Well, Doug, looks like your idea wasn't totally off the wall! Only
problem is we'll need to put a nuke power plant on the shuttle to run
it :-) Maybe we can talk somebody working on the X prize to fund it!
(See www.xprize.org for some wild ideas!)

Patience, persistence, truth,
Dr.mike

--
Mike Rosing
www.beastrider.com BeastRider, LLC
SHARC debug tools