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Building a Weather Control System

This version was saved 10 years, 10 months ago View current version     Page history
Saved by James Dunn
on May 16, 2013 at 10:00:36 am
 

Self-Funding and pollution free Weather Control System and global Power Generation

 


 

Weather Control System & global Energy System Technologies

 

Theory of Operation:

 

A thin film can be produced in space that is highly reflective on one side with electro-mechanical elements (piezo-electric, muscle wire, nano-tubes...) to control the curvature, or warp, of the mirror on the back side or embedded in the film as it is extruded (addressable MEM loops powered by induction). The mirror needs by necessity to be largely flat, the piezo-electric elements would provide active control to make precise focus possible, and to allow curvatures for various beneficial reasons.

 

If the mirror is produced with specific material distribution and with a slight convex curvature, the focus can be broadly changed through the rate of rotation. Ionizing radiation and manufacturing defects may mandate that active control of the mirror surface becomes a requirement to provide longer serviceable lifetimes.

 

Being able to focus the mirror is not needed to control the weather, the mirror could simply act as a shade structure to promote small temperature differentials. However, providing a mirror that can be focused provides a means of harvesting vast amounts of clean solar energy to displace the use of fossil fuels. Each mirror would potentially provide about one megawatt of power per day. Per day because most of the satellites will spend half their life in the shade of the Earth. So on average their day is proportional to our day in terms of energy production.

 

These mirrors can easily be a kilometer in diameter, or along a side, with only a very small amount of raw material. The mirror curvature should be actively controllable to compensate for varying forces created by solar winds and to allow focusing the mirror precisely. Small motorized weights can be used to control mirror position (see nonlinear 2-degrees of freedom control). By anticipating desired mirror angles the orbital trajectories can be actively calculated to provide a dynamically changing and overlapping mesh of mirror/shade structures to service most areas of the world (see Deep Thunder). The mirror sails its trajectory as the solar winds impart forces upon the mirror and accelerates or decelerates the mirror in an elliptical orbit around the Earth. Through coordinated use of many of these mirrors, the weather of an area can be actively controlled; and with many such groupings, globally.

 

The mirrors are not geo-synchronous! They orbit and change trajectories through computer coordination. They either position themselves to allow the passage of the Sun's rays, or like a valve, turn to block the passage of the Sun's rays and direct the light where needed; perhaps out into space. By having continuously overlapping trajectories, the system of mirrors provides a greying and smoothing effect where small changes spread out along an area so that positive control of weather extremes is maintained, but not noticeably from day to day. Weather would be published in advance like "TV Guide" for television.

 

Method of Production:

 

Raw materials from Earth, or harvested in space, are transported to a space-based factory that assembles/deploys/maintains the mirrors. (perhaps in the vicinity of a space elevator)

 

Stage 1: Centrifugal Mirror Stator

 

The radiation resistant mirror substrate is created by any number of different processes. For instance, in the vacuum and micro-gravity of space, extruding compounds can be performed very precisely.

 

A motor turns a hub six feet in diameter at some slow speed (extrusion under centrifugal force). A precision non-stick variable slot is machined continuously around the outside edge of the hub along its radius. A large pipe-like void is created connecting the slot at the edge of the hub, with a rotary joint to supply the mirror substrate compound (all machined on Earth). The heated and/or epoxy mixture of compounds is extruded into the slowly rotating cavity where it is pushed out through the outside precision slot (done in orbit). The centrifugal force pulls the compound out to a growing radius. The liquid compound has a high surface tension and holds together like a soap bubble.

 

The liquid compound is not conductive but has metal particulate to help shield the control elements on the opposite side of the mirror from ionizing radiation, and to provide electrostatic elements for pushing and pulling on during manufacture.

 

The rotation rate of the hub decreases as the extruded compound begins to solidify on its journey away from the center of the extrusion hub to limit the centrifugal forces. The temperature and/or hardening agent of the mixture is actively controlled to time the events so that the entire sheet sets up into a solid at the same moment, or at a rate where the inside edge solidifies at a slightly faster rate then the outside edge of the extrusion.

 

The hub is then disconnected from supply apparatus and the hub is used as the physical structure to house the control/communications package. The thickness of the membrane is thicker near the hub to support the local loading and bending moments. The extrusion slot is made adjustable to actively control the membrane thickness during its extrusion.

 

The liquid compound supply apparatus is removed from the hub. The mirror membrane is now permanently attached to the center hub. The compound supply apparatus is fitted with another hub and a new mirror substrate begins its manufacturing process.

 

Stage 2: Electrostatic Force Strain Apparatus (EFSA)

 

In space there are solar winds to apply forces to the mirror substrate while it is being manufactured. These forces are small but they need to be neutralized to prevent the mirror from having blemishes (wrinkles) in its surface.

 

The EFSA is laid parallel to the rays of the Sun. The rotating mirror substrate is maneuvered into the center of the EFSA. The EFSA is energized and the rotating mirror substrate is slowed to a stop.

 

The mirror would normally spin while in operation and the tendency of the mirror would be to flatten out. But during construction, the centrifugal forces would increase the complexity of applying the coatings and control elements.

 

Two parallel meshes of small ultra fine wires are formed in space in a large diameter; connected at the outer edges by rigid structures. The wires are charged with varying polarities in each opposing array, imparting controllable forces between the wire mesh arrays, and upon the mirror substrate. Through control of differential electrostatic charges, the basic shape of a mirror substrate laying between the mesh arrays can be automatically shaped by pushing and pulling on the mirror substrate surfaces. This allows for working on the mirror without centrifugal forces.

 

Stressing the wire mesh by differential electrostatic potentials provides an active control mechanism to remove the "wrinkles" of the mirror while applying the coatings and mechanical control elements to the mirror substrate.

 

Atomized materials are dispersed by electrostatic application, similar to powder coatings. Layered coatings are applied to the control side of the mirror substrate to create the active control elements for focusing the mirror.

 

A reflective coating is applied onto the reflective side of the mirror substrate.

 

Piezo-electric compounds (particulate under electromagnetic stress) and conductive pathways are preferentially applied. Metal particles are sprayed to provide the conductive pathways using electrostatic application. Capacitive components, charged networks, and common ground shielding provides piezo force stability in the ionizing radiation environment.

 

Alternatively, piezo-electric materials or nano-tube muscle wires, and the electrical pathways can be embedded in the mirror substrate as it is being extruded. However, the expansion rates of the liquid substrate must be taken into account.

 

Alternate Control Scheme:

 

MEMS technology allows for trillions of small devices to be produced that can be preferentially oriented as they are sprayed onto the mirror substrate. A loop of nanotubes can be addressably controlled from energy collected by induction near adjacent embedded wires. These loops can increase or decrease in diameter whenever the RFID-like device recieves a signal with it's address. To compare an example, 36 unique addresses uniquely describe coordinates separated every 3 feet in the United States.

.

The control elements allow the active control of the surface of the mirror to provide precision control over the light reflected. In this way, even with imperfections in manufacturing and minor damage from space debris, the majority of the mirror will still function as designed.

 

The center of the mirror, the hub, is then outfitted with a mechanical control and communications package. A series of criss-crossed wires provide the electrical connections for controlling the piezo-electric manipulation elements. A gasketed pressurized cabin clamps around and through the hub to allow technicians to make the electrical connections and mount control hardware, free of space suits.

 

A small portion of the mirror is made into a solar array to power the mechanism, or a solar array is attached directly to the control/communication package. The intent is to have thousands of these mirrors, so most likely the mirror will sail its trajectory. Manufacturing thousands of mirrors would be like manufacturing thousands of cars. Mass production techniques makes this practical.

 

To create a somewhat rigid surface, the mirror may or may not be caused to rotate. Causing a tightening of the surfaces similar to what happens to a string, when slinging a weight on the end of that string in a circular path.

 

Once set into rotation, mirrors may be coated with different chemicals to cause different frequencies of light to be reflected, or limit the angle of reflection to allow further control of the reflected light and perhaps provide additional protection for the mirror surfaces. Different versions of mirrors would be uniquely designed for certain performance characteristics. For instance:

  • A prizm-like effect is produceable by using various coatings. This might reflect both low and high frequency light away from the Earth, while pouring only the visible spectrum of light onto an area on the Earth.
  • Infrared might be selected specific to providing ground-based solar collection stations with power. The infrared spectrum would allow producing power even in mildly clouded conditions.
  • Perhaps the direct conversion of photons into microwave energy.
    http://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/1853/16111/1/Boechler_Nicholas_S_200705.pdf

 

Calibration of the mirror is accomplished by precisely positioning lasers stationary to the mirror hub and rotating the mirror. As the laser beam passes over the mirror surface the deviation of the reflection is recorded and the piezo electric (or other control) elements are manipulated to compensate. The mirror is then calibrated for flatness, and specific desired curvatures as anticipated for its anticipated orbital trajectories.

Once deployed, a robotic system can rendevous with mirrors to autonomously check calibration. This is a natural consequence of technology.

 

Methods of Application:

 

Additional solar energy higher in the atmosphere may provide for clear skies to allow more radiation from the surface to escape into space; cooling effect.

Mirrors reflect light away from the Earth; cooling effect.

Mirrors illuminate a portion of the Earth; heating effect.

Almost all weather is a function of temperature differentials.

 

Potential Benefits:

 

Control of flight related weather windows.

Far less weather related damaged infrastructure here on Earth (almost a trillion dollars saved annually)

This system provides more opportunities for space-based industries to develop.

Global Warming is REVERSED and controlled (all weather controlled).

Produces an abundance of clean energy; more than is presently used on the entire planet; virtually eliminating all human produced greenhouse gas emissions.

Commercial enterprise and space-based industry collaborate while the Government provides ethical oversight.

Emergency rescue resources; rain and retarding winds over forest fires, light during the night for rescue operations, passive reflectors for communication efforts, globally dispersed sensor systems, ...

 

Potential Detractor:

 

Building the Weather Control System is inexpensive because it has immediate payback potential. However, misuse of the system could permanently damage micro-environments. An Ethical Oversight Committee would need to be put in place to ensure ethical use and implementation of induced weather phenomena.

Of particular importance is that an unstable condition is not created whereby the loss of the mirror system from an extraordinarily large solar flare or asteroid field strikes would cause environment failures on Earth. We must maintain naturally stable environments, and just use the WCS to make minor adjustments to prevent momentary out of control failure of our environments.

 

If a large volcano erupts, a small asteroid strikes the Earth, or the Earth's magnetic field flips, we would be able to optimize the weather until the natural balances are restored.


 

Method of controlling rotation of WCS mirror

 

Creating a global Weather Control System (WCS)

 

There is a need for the Weather Control System (WCS) mirror to control the rate of rotation.

 

Uses for rotating the mirror might include: increasing mirror rigidity, sliding collected space debris to the edge (dust), creating a flashing beacon to help non-instrumented maritime and sports navigation, ...

 

During the manufacture of the mirror in an extruded process the outside diameter of the mirror may not have a uniform dimension. As the solar winds push against the mirror, there will be a difference in the forces produced across the mirror. If the mirror is rotating, the forces are averaged over time to have a uniform effect upon the mirror.

The mirror is dynamically focusable. So the control elements can cause the mirror surface to undulate similar to waves. By positioning the mirror at some angle from the Sun to allow one side of the mirror to recieve more solar wind than the other, the mirror will rotate.

 

Also, the control elements can dynamically manipulate surfaces to disproportionally make surfaces more perpendicular to the solar wind and cause rotation.

The warping of the mirror provides the differential forces necessary to position the sail area of the mirror for maneuvering in space.

 

 

Using Weather Control System (WCS) mirrors for collecting space debris

 

Creating a global Weather Control System (WCS) 

 

One of the problems with our space program is that it has deposited a number of satellites in space that are now trash moving at high velocities. There is also a vast amount of natural debris from asteroids, dirt ejected into space from large asteroid strikes on Earth, and a variety of other sources. The big pieces we track and eventually the space program will have no choice but to go collect them. These particles and objects are all travelling at high speeds in every direction, somewhat parallel with the Earths surface. Much of the debris is too small to detect from here on Earth. How do you collect something you can't see, but is deadly?

 

The fastest bullits here on Earth can not travel faster than about 5,000 feet per second and are about the volume as a dime. Now imagine an object traveling more than 35,000 feet per second and anywhere from the size of dust to 24 inches in diameter. Deadly in the extreme. We can track objects larger than about 3 inches in diameter from Earth; so we can avoid collision with them. But what about the smaller debris?

 

As you get closer to an object, it is more easily detected. So when out in space and with no atmosphere to distort reflections, we should be able to track objects down to about the size of a grain of sand moving at high velocities.

 

How to collect Orbiting Debris

 

The WCS will maintain many hundreds of mirrors to regulate the Earth's environment. The advent of nanotubes allows the structure of the mirror to be flexible, controllable, and tough. The carbon nanotubes are more than 1,000 times stronger than steel, and in some case can be made "self-mending". Instead of applying compounds to a network of fine wires, the mirror support and control elements could concievably be made from carbon nanotubes.

 

As dust moving at high velocity hits the nanotubes it slows the dust and displaces part of the nanotube structure. For some parts of the structure, the nanotubes will repair themselves like disturbing a blob of mercury, it will reshape itself and coalesce to its original shape. Many such collisions over time will slow the dust sufficiently to fall out of orbit and burn up in our atmosphere.

 

Objects in very large eliptical orbits can have very high speeds as they pass lower orbits and come from directions at high angles to that of circular orbits. However, their large eliptical path makes them susceptable to gravitational influences of the moon which disturbs their flight path, making their orbit unstable. Very little debris is of this nature.

For any object to be in orbit, they must all be traveling at approximately the same speed for a given orbiting distance from the Earth, so the mirrors will be traveling at the same speed, but along a different trajectory. Larger pieces of space debris can be tracked and over time a mirror can match the debris trajectory and speed and wait for the debris to circle the Earth and come back to impact the mirror at relatively slow velocities.

 

The extreme low forces and gravity allows three muscle-wire style nanotubes to be elastically and coaxially attached to one another (the diameter of a small wire), to curl from the center of the mirror extending out to the debris, entangle the debris and move the debris slowly to a storage container. The robotic arm would then spiral loosely out from the center for storage. This ensures that a single debris strike will only damage the manipulator in one place, allowing the other manipulator to make repairs. The same robotic manipulators could also perform minor mirror repairs from high speed debris collisions.

 

 

What to do with the Collected Debris

 

Periodically, maintenance teams will be required to perform maintenance on all of the mirrors. The operable mirror will change its trajectory, speed, and altitude to match that of the Maintenance Station. For inoperable mirrors, a robotic vehicle will be deployed to tow the inoperable mirror. The debris collected will be processed and used as raw materials, as well as other financial opportunities as cited in related entries. The debris can also be inventoried, and then deposited into a stable orbit around a designated trajectory and altitude, and then tracked. When raw material is needed, inventory would provide where to get what, and a mirror would be sequenced to retrieve the material and dock with the maintenance platform.

 

This system allows for cleaning up debris that is orbiting the Earth, actively using debris as a resource, and allows for the mirror to have the resources to perform minor repairs on itself.

 

As with all advanced technologies, the controlling agency must be ethically structured.

 

 

 

Practical Funding Sources

 

As has been recently published by a collection of scientists worldwide, greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming of our planet. Global Warming will continue into the next century and will decimate much of our natural wildlife and destroy much of what is now our coastline. Florida will submerge up to almost Orlando. From one-third to one-half of all known species of land animals and plants will near extinction within the next 50 years; that is about one million different species. NASA even predicts that Global Warming will continue even if we reduce greenhouse gas emissions. All the while, humans are burning more and more fossil fuels to provide power; contributing significantly more greenhouse gases. Worldwide, more than one trillion dollars each year is allocated outside of intent due to destructive weather phenomena. About $100 billion dollars in actual destruction, and about $900 billion dollars in lost revenue, unrecoverable damages, displaced businesses, adjusted burdens on families where there was loss of life, and the destructive impact on infrastructure.

 

NASA predicts Global Warming increases

 

"Building a Weather CONTROL System" can be implemented much easier than commonly understood. A film like Mylar, aluminum, or some similar material can be made highly reflective and quite durable for space-based applications. A small amount of material (weight) can make mirrors of a few thousand feet in diameter to precisely focus sunlight into various places in the atmosphere. A chemical applied to the surface can control the critical angle of reflection, help protect the reflector, and provide greater control over the reflected light.

 

In addition to the many new growth industries formed, many new jobs are created,

 

Both heating and cooling of various regions of the Earth is possible by aiming sunlight at higher concentrations. Obviously, by illuminating the Earth's ground or water resource, heating would occur (heat source). But what is not commonly known is that these large mirror networks can create shadows and cooling zones upon the Earth (heat sink) and aiming sunlight at high angles to heat the atmosphere without heating the ground allows for the Earth to radiate energy out into space. To get an idea of the effectiveness of this method, on a hot summer day, walk under a shade tree.

 

Each mirror can direct approximately one gigawatt (1 gigawatt) of energy per day. This energy can be collected/diverted and used to provide electrical power at designated solar energy collection stations; eliminating the need for fossil fuels, and virtually eliminating all human produced greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Precise active focus of the mirrors allows for ground-based power stations to collect solar energy and generate large amounts of electrical power using steam turbines, wind turbines, and a variety of other energy conversion technologies. The power generated is expected to be on the order of four Gigawatts (4 Gwatts) per power station. This one station exceeds all the electrical power used worldwide in 2003. Two stations would exceed predicted electrical power demands for the year 2030. Three hundred and fifty (350) power stations would exceed the total world power needs including all power of any kind currently produced by fossil fuels (15 terawatts). Should we become a more power hungry species, there is little reason why the mirror systems could not eventually provide hundreds of terawatts in power production by establishing space-based generation systems. Transferring the converted energy by means of maser transformers and/or physical conductors provided by nanotubes.

 

During emergency situations where catastrophic events have occurred, like Earthquakes, the mirrors could illuminate the night to allow rescue workers to provide service more effectively by making artificial daylight.

 

If the mirror is not desired for use, it would be rotated such that its surface is parallel with the sun's rays and a small portion of the solar panels would be exposed to sunlight to trickle charge the system while waiting for it's next command from Earth.

 

Ideally, vast numbers of mirrors would be in orbit at various altitudes and following trajectories around the Earth to provide service to most of the world. As one mirror of a control unit drifts out of range, another drifts into the range, providing a dynamic overlapping mesh of mirrors. Only small temperature changes are needed to control the weather, so there is no need to cover the entire sky with reflectors.

 

The support and steering mechanisms requires only weights or gyroscopic motors, in a two degrees of freedom steering arrangement, to track the sun and aim the mirrors. Part of the mylar-like mirror would contain photocells to provide power to run the small motors. Because space is largely vacuum, a couple of gyroscopes might steer a mirror that is 30oo feet in diameter, or along a side; able to accelerate, or decelerate, by over 3,000 mph a day. Alternatively, the dynamic nature of the mirror could allow it to "morph" into different shapes and in conjunction with the pressures of the solar winds, change its angles for providing weather control.

 

Small ion drive engines might optionally move the mirrors and maintain orbital positions, but the mirrors would most likely sail their trajectories using the solar winds. The thin membrane would be susceptible to damage from applying a large force central to the mirror; like pushing a knife through a sheet of paper. However, by having the solar wind push somewhat uniformly over its entire surface, the mirror moves together as one structure; like blowing on a sheet of paper.

 

Periodically, a maintenance team would guide robotic tow vehiclesto recover inoperable mirrors. Each mirror can maneuver itself back to the platform for scheduled maintenance. A system of computers would provide the needed automatic control of the mirror trajectories to avoid collisions, provide services, and intelligently learn cause and effect relationships related to weather forecasting and control.

 

Many groups of several hundred of these mirrors would enter a high orbit around the earth at various altitudes. Each group would receive signals to control the positioning of each mirrors' focus. No less than 10 square miles, except for power station energy collection. To influence weather, only a few degrees in temperature change are significant.

  • With a mirror network, one can either heat OR cool the surface of the Earth. With multiple networks of mirrors, one can heat one area while cooling another, the overall goal to reverse Global Warming and then actively manage Climate Change, minimize human produced greenhouse gas emissions, and allowing time and conditions for the environment to mend from the already deteriorated conditions.

 

The Katrina hurricane caused over 125 billion dollars in repairs and losses in human life; and that was just one hurricane; in one small location on the Earth. This system would require only a fraction of that cost to virtually eliminate future catastrophes of these types.

 

At this point in time, the technologies needed are old and well-developed. Creating a space-based factoryto produce the mirrors is desirable because of the clean and largely gravity free environment. The platform could also be the platform for prototyping other space-based factory systems. The proposed Space Elevator, the Weather Control System, and space-based factory systems, have a natural symbiotic relationship.

 

Who benefits from controlling the weather? Share this concept with your Government Representatives, related private industry, and your colleagues.

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