Re: NASA's Tethered Generator

To: tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: NASA's Tethered Generator
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 01:15:33 -0500
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net
Subject:  Re: NASA's Tethered Generator
  Date:  Fri, 9 May 1997 00:00:59 +0000
  From:  "John H. Couture" <couturejh-at-worldnet.att-dot-net>
    To:  Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>


At 09:55 PM 5/6/97 +0000, you wrote:
>Subject:     Re: NASA's Tethered Generator
>      Date:  Mon, 05 May 1997 18:23:05 -0500
>      From:  rickh-at-ghg-dot-net (Rick Holland)
>        To: 
>           Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
>References: 
>           1
>
>
>Tesla List wrote:
>
>> 
>>   Robert, Mark -
>> 
>>   You could both be wrong. Tesla invented the so called "Tesla Coil" to
>> create ultra high voltages with maximum power. We should be trying to
>> optimize this apparatus (to help NASA with its tether generator). Sparks
>> of
>> any kind are losses and prevent the production of the high voltages at
>> maximum power.
>
>All right! I saw that. I'll have you know that we NASA weenies are a bit
>miffed about the whole tethered satellite thing (not to mention the
>Itialians). OK, so the thing generated in the thousands of volts and
>made AMPs instead of milliamps, but how were we to know? Who else has
>done anything like this? SO, we were moving a conductor through a
>changing magnetic field. Who could guess that the magnetic field would
>have areas of such intensity? I mean it's *just* a planetary magnetic
>field; and just in case you forgot, we *do* have rocket scientists
>working for us.
>
>Of course, all of the above is said tongue-in-cheek :>). There are some
>rather sheepish-looking rocket scientists wandering around here
>muttering to themselves. I, being a lowly technician, was not consulted
>prior to the launch of this experiment, but I have had some ideas on
>power generation using a conductor and changing magnetic fields, and I
>could have told them that I thought they should use a really heavy
>conductor (just on instinct, not knowledge base).
>
>I'm afraid I've gotten 'way off the topic, so I guess I'd better shut up
>now. Just couldn't pass up the chance to poke a little fun.
>
>
>     Rick Holland
>
>     The Answer is 42.
>
>-----------------------------------------------------

  Rick -

  Why are you miffed? The tether generator worked. It helped to slow
down
the shuttle (.00001%? by Newton's 3rd law) to save retro fuel for
landing.
>From a more serious standpoint this type of generator can produce thousands
of watts and is the perfect emergency generator because it requires no
fuel
to operate. It can provide the shuttle with enough emergency electrical
power for enough time to allow an emergency space vehicle to reach it.

  The tether generator incorporates Tesla's concept of using the
ionosphere
as the return conductor. This requires very high voltages like present
electrical high voltage transmission lines. One advantage of using the
ionosphere is that because of its vast volume the voltage drop and
losses in
transmission can be ignored unlike present electrical transmission
lines. 

It appears that NASA was apparently misguided by people who had never
heard
of Nikola Tesla. I understand that the necessary high voltage is
obtained by
electronics using an electron gun. This device has limited voltage and
power
capability. A Tesla coil can do much better. The problem is that the
Tesla
coil must be redesigned to be feasible for this application, a challange
for
future Tesla coilers.

  Some day NASA might fund this research. Nikola Tesla would then be
vindicated regarding his world electrical system concepts.

  For those interested in this subject try 

            http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/tss1r/

  John Couture