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Missile Defense

Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI all over again?

rshowalter - 08:01am Aug 1, 2001 EST (#7704 of 7773)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

MD5545 rshowalter 6/20/01 12:53pm ... MD5546 rshowalter 6/20/01 12:54pm
MD5547 rshowalter 6/20/01 1:09pm ... MD5548 rshowalter 6/20/01 1:17pm
MD5549 rshowalter 6/20/01 1:18pm ... MD5550 almarst-2001 6/20/01 1:45pm

We need to be careful, and get facts checked, in a workable context.

On issues about the technical function of space based weapons, including lasars, where gisterme is contradicting me , somebody is wrong about something logically, technically, morally, and financially crucial. The issue ought to be checked, not evaded.

lunarchick - 08:27am Aug 1, 2001 EST (#7705 of 7773)
lunarchick@www.com

Ray Stalker

.. SCRAM JET

The launch of satellites into space is now so routine as to pass without comment or report. Only when a launch vehicle explodes is there any sustained interest. Launching satellites is still a very expensive business mainly because of the cost and weight of the rockets. The size of the payloads or satellites is restricted to about five percent of the all up weight of the launch vehicle or rocket. Space engineers have long dreamed of a day when a re-useable jet powered vehicle will be able to launch satellites. The key is a jet engine known as a scram jet, which may be able to reach high enough speeds to get into space with minimal rocket assistance. Such a tiny model engine has flown for a few thousandths of a second in a test tunnel at the University of Queensland. http://www.abc.net.au/ra/elp/innovatn/inofs656.htm

Working in with Russia http://www.abc.net.au/pm/s51049.htm

lunarchick - 08:30am Aug 1, 2001 EST (#7706 of 7773)
lunarchick@www.com

http://www.prop1.org/2000/accident/facts5.htm

rshowalter - 08:31am Aug 1, 2001 EST (#7707 of 7773)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

re: . !

The aerodynamics (and aerodynamics test) guys have done a fine job, on their own terms, in their own area -- - but the mixing work has been miserable. There are some very good flow pictures that show enough so a person can see why -- there's an eddy structure to turbulence -- the best I recall by Dimotakis -- but a little while ago, couldn't find them on the web. Probably there.

The fuel air mixing problem was never adequately handled, so far as I know -- and if it can be handled, and someone can show me that from an open literature source, I'll apologize profusely.

For anything at all large -- large enough to interest NASA, for instance, the mixing problems, with hypersonic constraints on flow geometry, are intractable.

lunarchick - 08:40am Aug 1, 2001 EST (#7708 of 7773)
lunarchick@www.com

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~pxdgroup/projects/fractals/fractals.html http://www.galcit.caltech.edu/People/Faculty/dimotakis.html http://www.birkhauser.com/cgi-win/ISBN/3-7643-6150-6 http://cnls.lanl.gov/Events/Conferences/Turbulence/agenda.html http://www.its.caltech.edu/~pxdgroup/projects/fractals/fractals.html

rshowalter - 08:42am Aug 1, 2001 EST (#7709 of 7773)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Dawn, you're great!

Mixing and the geometry of surfaces and interfaces in turbulence by S.Deusch, P.Dimotakis, D.Lang, R. Henderson (Aero & Appl. Math.), S. v. Lombeyda (CACR), D. Meiron (Appl. Math.), G. Powers (Appl. Math.), J. Shan, and P. Svitek, with, H.Catrakis (UCI), R. Samtaney (NASA/AMES), and A. Cook (LLNL) http://www.its.caltech.edu/~pxdgroup/projects/fractals/fractals.html

has good 3-d images --

Dimotakis has some sensational "lasar cut" pictures, too. In 1980, one of them verifed some math I'd done a few years before on the theory of structured turbulent flow mixing -- got me some kudos with Steve Kline.

rshowalter - 08:43am Aug 1, 2001 EST (#7710 of 7773)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

back in a while. Gotta cook.

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