Clipmarks | Helium Clips

Can we harness energy from outer space?

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:36:41 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: While nuclear fusion has already been tested with the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium, those reactions give off the majority of their energy as radioactive neutrons, raising both safety and production concerns. Helium-3, on the other hand, is perfectly safe. It doesn't give off any pollution or radioactive waste and poses no danger to surrounding areas.
helium-3 has two protons but only one neutron. When it's heated to very high temperatures and combined with deuterium, the reaction releases incredible amounts of energy. Just 2.2 pounds (one kilogram) of helium-3 combined with 1.5 pounds (0.67 kilograms) of deuterium produces 19 megawatt-years of energy Roughly 25 tons of the stuff could power the United States for an entire year.

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

People have been searching for clean alternative energy sources for decades to no avail. As soon as one source seems to pass the test, someone uncovers its fatal flaw. Nuclear, wind, solar and hydropower have all been dragged through the mud to some degree. Traditional nuclear fission is too risky, winds aren't consistent, the sun doesn't always penetrate the clouds and hydropower dams disrupt natural environments.

It seems like any workable solution is light-years away -- literally. Some researchers think the answer to our energy needs rests in the stars. From wind turbines on Mars to helium-3 fusion, people are increasingly looking to extraterrestrial sources for the Earth's energy needs.

One of the sources they're looking at is helium-3 to use in nuclear fusion reactions. As opposed to nuclear fission, which splits an atom's nucleus in half, nuclear fusion combines nuclei to produce energy.

Tags: energy, space

New Ion Scalpel Use For Critical Surgery

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:39:36 GMT

clipped by: zippunkygirl
clipper's remarks: I will be interested to see if this work successfully.

Clip Source: query.nytimes.com

PHYSICISTS FASHION A BEAM OF IONS INTO A SCALPEL

Sharper and more accurate than any surgeon's knife, the physicists' scalpel is composed of invisible hydrogen or helium atoms that have been stripped of their electrons and accelerated in cyclotrons to form particle beams of very high energy.

The process has found its widest use in brain surgery to correct conditions that would otherwise be inoperable because they involve areas that cannot be reached without damage to important surrounding tissue.

The technique is still rare, however, because very few cyclotrons are available for medical use, according to Dr. Raymond Kjellberg, who pioneered the use of proton beam surgery at Massachussets General Hospital in Boston. But he said he hoped the required machinery could eventually be made small enough, and portable enough, so that surgeons around the country could use the technique.

Sun Hopes

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:30:14 GMT

clipped by: solitonix

Clip Source: www.israel21c.org

Israeli inventor puts his head in the clouds

Joseph Cory's helium balloons made from fabric coated with photovoltaic (PV) solar cells. These balloons are much cheaper to build and install than existing solar panels, and also take up far less room, which is significant in an urban environment.

You can tell Joseph Cory is a dreamer. Turn to his company's web site, Geotectura.com, and you see a host of ideas ranging from the wild - a one-meter square movable 'house' for the homeless, to the wacky, electro-magnetic skyscrapers that float above the ground. But out of this riotous imagination, Cory, a new breed of environmental architect, has developed a number of award-winning schemes that could help deal with some of the world's most pressing problems - lack of renewable energy, and water scarcity.

The Israeli scientist, who is shortly to complete his PhD at the Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Architecture and City Construction, at Haifa's Technion Israel Institute of Technology

Rememeber the ballooning priest???

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:18:50 GMT

clipped by: dakotayii
clipper's remarks: Never, Never try a cheap stunt...........

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The body of a Brazilian priest who floated out over the ocean suspended by hundreds of helium-filled party balloons, has been found off the coast of southeastern Brazil, police have confirmed.

The corpse of Father Adelir Antonio de Carli was spotted by a tugboat at sea near the city of Macae, three months after he disappeared while flying a contraption buoyed by balloons over the Atlantic Ocean in a fund-raising stunt.

"We were almost certain that it was the priest due to various elements, such as the clothes and material used in the balloon trip," Macae's chief of police, Daniel Bandeira, said on Monday. "The DNA only confirmed our suspicions."

The priest disappeared on April 20 after he called friends from his mobile phone to say he was about to crash into the ocean.

He staged the stunt to help raise money for a chapel for truckers in his highway parish.

Tags: news

Universe's first star born tiny, grew huge: study

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:27:50 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: The processes churning inside the stars synthesized the universe's first heavy elements. In dying, these stars may have blasted this stuff back into space to become building blocks of future stars and planets composed of many more elements

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

The first object to brighten the dark, primordial universe after the Big Bang was the tiny seed of a star that rapidly grew into a behemoth 100 times more massive than the sun

This first generation of stars apparently lived hard and died quickly. While our sun may live 5 billion years, this first generation of stars likely lasted only a slim fraction of that -- about 1 million years

Scientists think the universe was born in a Big Bang explosion 13.7 billion years ago and has been expanding ever since. But they have struggled to understand how the first stars formed in the aftermath of this cataclysm

Japanese and U.S. astronomers ran a sophisticated computer simulation that showed how some of the hydrogen and helium gases strewn throughout the young universe came together to form the first generation of stars

While none of the stars survive today, their influence remains

Tags: star, huge, big bang, universe, study

Moon Secrets Revealed : John Lear & Richard Hoagland

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:42:18 GMT

clipped by: WomanInTheMoon11
clipper's remarks: Coast to Coast AM Interview with George Noory

http://www.thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/04images/Moon7/Full_Moon/Moon_Mosaic_80_lrg.png

Former aviation pilot John Lear returned for a discussion about photographic evidence for cities and mining operations on the moon. He said that mining operations for such substances as helium-3 have been going on for years, and that antigravity ships, secretly launched from Antarctica, arrive at the moon in only one hour's time. He cited a poster known as "sleeper" (blog) at the abovetopsecret.com forum as one of the sources for his information.

Lear also argued that the moon was towed into its current orbit by a huge electromagnetic vehicle, and that vehicle can be seen in a photo taken of the moon crater Tsiolkovsky. He also believes that the moon contains a breathable atmosphere, as evidenced by photos showing smoke or vapor coming from the surface.

Joining the conversation during the third hour, Richard C. Hoagland concurred with Lear t

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Moon Secrets Revealed : John Lear & Richard Hoagland Pt.1

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Moon Secrets Revealed : John Lear & Richard Hoagland Pt.2

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Moon Secrets Revealed : John Lear & Richard Hoagland Pt.3

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Moon Secrets Revealed : John Lear & Richard Hoagland Pt.4

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Moon Secrets Revealed : John Lear & Richard Hoagland Pt.5

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Moon Secrets Revealed : John Lear & Richard Hoagland Pt.6

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Moon Secrets Revealed : John Lear & Richard Hoagland Pt.7

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Moon Secrets Revealed : John Lear & Richard Hoagland Pt.8

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Moon Secrets Revealed : John Lear & Richard Hoagland Pt.9

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Moon Secrets Revealed : John Lear & Richard Hoagland Pt.10

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Moon Secrets Revealed : John Lear & Richard Hoagland Pt.11

[Video]

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Moon Secrets Revealed : John Lear & Richard Hoagland Pt.12

[Video]

From: theduderinok
Joined: 2 years ago
Videos: 1,911

Tags: coast to coast am, george noory, john lear, richard hoaqland

Giant Laser in the Works to Achieve Fusion

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:51:07 GMT

clipped by: Stikker

Clip Source: dsc.discovery.com

Giant Laser in the Works to Achieve Fusion

Eric Bland, Discovery News

July 15, 2008 -- In the movie "Spiderman II," the web-slinging hero stops the creation of a tritium-fueled laser fusion machine. Doctor Octopus's theory was right, but his machine was too small.

Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California are building their own laser fusion machine that is 10 stories tall, 400 feet long and fueled with tritium (and deuterium).

The goal of the project, known as the National Ignition Facility (NIF), is to create such intense heat and pressure that the fuel, both isotopes of the element hydrogen, will fuse together to form helium.

Researchers expect that reaction will release massive amounts of energy that could one day provide nearly unlimited and environmentally friendly power to the world, advance basic scientific research and ensure the effectiveness of the nation's nuclear warheads.

Eine urtümliche Zone in der Feuerrad-Galaxie entdeck

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:34:36 GMT

clipped by: Wallus

Clip Source: www.3sat.de

Eine urtümliche Zone in der Feuerrad-Galaxie entdeckt

Weltraumteleskop findet im Sternbild Großer Bär eine "anorganischen" Bereich

Die roten Stellen zeigen die urtümlichen Zonen © Nasa

Das "Spitzer"-Weltraumteleskop ist in der Feuerrad-Galaxie im Sternbild Großer Bär auf Bedingungen gestoßen, wie sie im jungen Universum geherrscht haben müssen. In den Außenbezirken der Galaxie mit der Katalognummer Messier 101 fehlen demnach die Bausteine des Lebens. Es gibt auch nur wenig schwerere Elemente als Wasserstoff und Helium. Der Rand der Galaxie ähnele daher vermutlich den Entstehungsbedingungen der ersten Sterne und Galaxien im jungen Universum.

Tags: eine, urtümliche, zone, in, der, feuerrad, galaxie, entdeck

Giant Laser in the Works to Achieve Fusion

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:38:41 GMT

clipped by: A53GG4

Clip Source: dsc.discovery.com

Giant Laser in the Works to Achieve Fusion

Eric Bland, Discovery News

July 15, 2008 -- In the movie "Spiderman II," the web-slinging hero stops the creation of a tritium-fueled laser fusion machine. Doctor Octopus's theory was right, but his machine was too small.

Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California are building their own laser fusion machine that is 10 stories tall, 400 feet long and fueled with tritium (and deuterium).

Next »21« Previous

Tags: science

Voyager 2 reports from the edge of the solar system

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:06:14 GMT

clipped by: dewitte

Clip Source: physicsworld.com

Over 30 years after it was launched, NASA’s Voyager 2 space probe has reached the “edge” of the solar system.

In doing so the probe has confirmed that the heliosphere — an immense bubble-like structure surrounding the Sun and formed by the solar wind — is not a perfect sphere but is a squashed ellipsoid.

Voyager 2 crossed the “heliospheric termination shock” in August 2007 at a distance of about 12bn kilometers from the Sun. This is about twice as far from the Sun as Pluto and about 1.5bn kilometers closer to the Sun than where its partner Voyager 1 crossed this threshold in 2004. This confirms telescope-based observations of the flow of hydrogen and helium in this region made in 2005, which suggested that the heliosphere is squashed by interstellar magnetic fields.

Tags: voyager, space, astronomy

Cern lab goes 'colder than space'

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:51:18 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: A lot more at the source about this great experiment. Amazing stuff.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Superconducting magnets are cooled down using liquid helium

A vast physics experiment built in a tunnel below the French-Swiss border is fast becoming one of the coolest places in the Universe.

The Large Hadron Collider is entering the final stages of being lowered to a temperature of 1.9 Kelvin (-271C; -456F) - colder than deep space.

The LHC has thousands of magnets which will be maintained in this frigid condition using liquid helium.

The magnets are arranged in a ring that runs for 27km through the giant tunnel.

Once the LHC is operational, two particle beams - usually consisting of protons accelerated to high energies - will be fired down pipes running through the magnets.

These beams will then travel in opposite directions around the main ring at close to the speed of light.

The most powerful physics experiment ever built, the LHC will re-create the conditions just after the Big Bang.

By comparison, the temperature in remote regions of outer space is about 2.7 Kelvin (-270C; -454F).

Tags: one, big, experiment

Cern lab goes 'colder than space'

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:25:25 GMT

clipped by: A53GG4

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Cern lab goes 'colder than space'

By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News

Superconducting magnets are cooled down using liquid helium

A vast physics experiment built in a tunnel below the French-Swiss border is fast becoming one of the coolest places in the Universe.

The Large Hadron Collider is entering the final stages of being lowered to a temperature of 1.9 Kelvin (-271C; -456F) - colder than deep space.

The LHC has thousands of magnets which will be maintained in this frigid condition using liquid helium.

The magnets are arranged in a ring that runs for 27km through the giant tunnel.

Once the LHC is operational, two particle beams - usually consisting of protons accelerated to high energies - will be fired down pipes running through the magnets.

The most powerful physics experiment ever built, the LHC will re-create the conditions just after the Big Bang.

Tags: science

garden gnome seed bomb

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:38:14 GMT

clipped by: alicebernardo
clipper's remarks: helium baloon filled with seeds that explodes after a day.

Clip Source: www.heavypetal.ca

Check out this new take on the seed bomb. It's a biodegradable helium balloon painted with the classically kitschy garden gnome. The work of Dutch Studio TX, the seed-filled balloons deflate after a day, landing on the sod attached to the bottom of each balloon.

Fussion

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:41:13 GMT

clipped by: raysulak
clipper's remarks: HOPE

Clip Source: dsc.discovery.com

Eric Bland, Discovery News

Giant Laser in the Works to Achieve Fusion

July 15, 2008 -- In the movie "Spiderman II," the web-slinging hero stops the creation of a tritium-fueled laser fusion machine. Doctor Octopus's theory was right, but his machine was too small.

Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California are building their own laser fusion machine that is 10 stories tall, 400 feet long and fueled with tritium (and deuterium).

The Future Of Air Travel?

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:04:51 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: Only if the helium supply is better managed. It is known to be in short supply. The details of the craft are interesting, just the same. Electric engines are a novelty, too.

Clip Source: rense.com

Even though the Aeroscraft dwarfs the largest commercial airliners, it requires less net space on the ground than any plane because it doe sn't need a runway The airship takes off and lands like ahelicopter straight up and down This is not a Blimp

Unlike its dirigible ancestors, the Aeroscraft is not lighter than air. It's 14 million cubic feet of helium hoist only two-thirds of the craft's weight. The rigid and surprisingly aerodynamic body, driven by huge rear-ward propellers, generates enough additional lift to keep the behemoth and its 400-ton payload aloft while cruising During takeoff and landing, six turbo-fan jet engines push the ship up or ease its descent.

This two-football-fields-long airship is the brainchild of Igor Pasternak, whose privately-funded California firm, Worldwide Aeros Corporation, is in the early stages of developing a prototype and expects to have one completed by 2010.

a range of several thousand miles

an estimated top speed of 174 mph,