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Ask Slashdot: How Would Room-Temp Superconductors Affect Us?
Bananatree3 writes "While we have sci-fi visions of room temperature superconductors like in the movie Avatar, the question still remains: How would the discovery of a such a material impact our everyday lives? How would the nature of warfare change? How would the global economy react? What are the cultural pros and cons of such a technological shift?" And just as important, in what contexts would you want to see it first employed?
Put this into your "without doing the calculations" claptrap.
Just think for a moment. Ok, so there is not enough petroleum on the planet to put everyone into near earth orbit. But, that isn't the only way. ENERGY is what is needed. How might you get enough energy?
1. Massive solar arrays in space. These arrays could have more surface area than the planet, and generate electricity 24/7.
2. Thorium and Uranium Breeder Reactors
3. Covering the earth with solar panels
4. ??? Fusion???
The first 3 are solid, there's absolutely no convincing argument that can state that these are more than hard engineering problems. They are absolutely achievable, and we have proofs of concept for all 3.
How do you use that energy to get to space?
1. Synthesize chemical rocket propellant from H20 or with CO2 to make synthetic kerosene.
2. Mass drivers to launch the payloads out of a gun.
3. Chemically fired mass drivers using hydrogen gas
4. Laser Launch
5. ??? Space Elevator ???
Well, ok, this is an awful lot of aerospace hardware to build to actually move 6 billion and counting folks. Plus their pets. How could you ever manufacture enough spacecraft and vehicles to do this for a cost that could be paid?
See Nanotechnology, Molecular Manufacturing.