[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Re: NASA's Tethered Generator

Subject: Re: NASA's Tethered Generator
  Date: Sun, 11 May 1997 22:08:32 +0000
  From: "John H. Couture" <couturejh-at-worldnet.att-dot-net>
    To:  Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>


At 02:08 PM 5/9/97 +0000, you wrote:
>Subject:  Re: NASA's Tethered Generator
>  Date:   Fri, 9 May 1997 02:06:39 -0400 (EDT)
>  From:   richard hull <rhull-at-richmond.infi-dot-net>
>    To:   Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
>
>
>At 12:28 AM 5/8/
>
>snip
>>
>>Hi,
>>
>>Forgive me if this is off topic or if I missed an earlier discussion of
>>this, but how did NASA plan to draw power from the tethered cable? I
>>understand it was just a conductor fixed at one end to the satellite,
>>and
>>moving relative to the earths magnetic field. This seems like an open
>>circuit to me, and I am wondering how current would flow since it is an
>>incomplete path. Am I missing the big picture here? Thanks for your
>>help.
>>
>>Dave
>>
>>PS. I am new to this list and my posts have been taking a day, sometimes
>>longer to show up. Am I doing something wrong here?
>>
>>
>Dave,
>
>A wire, even a very short one has lots of capacitance.  A long wire can
>have
>a tremendous isotropic capacitance.  If the wire spans in an electric
>gradient,  Huge potnetials and currents can be obtained against the
>nearest
>extended object.  The opposite terminal or charge is viewed in theory as
>being located at infinity, but is most often referenced to the nearest
>solid
>object. (on earth it is usually ground) This is actually the modus
>operandi
>for the toroid on our Tesla coils!
>
> There are other possibilities for voltage rise along such a wire
>drifting
>in orbit at orbital velocity.  I have alwys commented that a lot of
>major
>league electrostatic/electrodynamic research where real large things can
>be
>moved about in a rather perfect vacuum could and should be done from the
>shuttle.
>
>Richard Hull, TCBOR
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------

  Richard -

  You have performed many spectacular experiments with Tesla coils and
discovered some important details of Tesla coil design. I now believe
you
should take a wire connected to a meter and move it thru a magnetic
field.
You will induce an emf according to the equation

                     emf = BLv      

where emf is the electromagnetic force, B is the magnetic force, L the
length of wire, and v the velocity of the wire thru the field. This is
what
the shuttle tether is doing. The return conductor is the ionosphere.

  John Couture