Re:Bi-Directional Plasma Thrusters for Space Debris Removal
by mr_overalls on Friday September 28, 2018 @01:52PM
(#18095426)
Just out of curiosity, why didn't you apply for a patent?
Re:Bi-Directional Plasma Thrusters for Space Debris Removal
by Nomentatus on Friday September 28, 2018 @04:19PM
(#18096708)
Ill and therefore poor. Not the only famous idea I could have patented. I could take out a couple of hundred patents now, still, if I had the money.
Re:Bi-Directional Plasma Thrusters for Space Debris Removal
by aaronchall on Friday September 28, 2018 @08:16PM
(#18097995)
Given the rate at which our patent offices hand them out, there's no doubt any one of us could take out a couple of hundred patents if we had the disposable money to apply for them.
Re:Bi-Directional Plasma Thrusters for Space Debris Removal
by Nomentatus on Friday September 28, 2018 @10:06PM
(#18098329)
True! But I did mean wholly legitimate patents of useful novel ideas.
A point they've dropped from my proposal is that used on a spinning target you can de-spin it. (Even if it's spinning along more than one axis in fact, with intermittent thrust.) This is especially useful to capture, move, and then utilize asteriods, say. Or as a way to stabilize the target (such as an asteroid), so that both engines can be joined to the target to move it. See "jacknife" below.
Very useful for cleaning debris from orbit.
A few years ago, I realized that what you want is a "jackknife" implementation with a hinge between the two engines that allows you to use both thrusters to move to and from the objects you want to move. Since no-one had picked up the original idea (except as modified to use gravity vs one engine), I made no attempt to publicize that refinement to the idea.