Formation flying with magnets

[Seedsofthought]

Im not sure what video tries to convey but Propulsion in space can be acheived through the use of a gyro.

[xk445g]

Magnets are cool, but how do they work?

[R4D4full]

@xk445g

mormons can explain it to you

[Xmus44]

dancing robots in space!! i like it

[Lundix]

I might have a sprained boredom O.o

[GhostInTheShell29]

Since you need the solar panels to collect power to power the magnets... Why not just use solar panels to power a propulsion system?

[chillymunster]

@GhostInTheShell29 magnets require no fuel. this is more practical. though, they might just end up losing them when they get too far from each other. i was hoping they would be able to propel themselves with their magnetic rings...

[GhostInTheShell29]

@chillymunster oh.. right... i completely forgot electric motors are useless for propulsion if you don't have an atmosphere or ground to push off of.... two things space lacks.... nvm what i said its a good idea then :p

[pauljs75]

This would probably work great for military sat groupings like NOSS, if such a system is not in service already. Also by using magnets to hold formation position, only one sat in the group would need propellent for overall station keeping while the others can be tugged along by it. This might also be useful for building larger pseudo-structures out of arrays of sats, and who knows what interesting applications can come from that.

[maynardr6]

The reaction wheel seems to work kinda like the wheels in motocross. They can be accelerated or decelerated to produce a torque on the craft. The technology seems to have more to do with managing large numbers of satellites rather than staying aloft longer. That is unless it can perform similar maneuvers with the earth's magnetic field rather than a sister craft.

[Punishment7]

I dont quite understand. Yes they do attract and repel each other. but they dont move forward (towards us) because of that.

What is the "reaction wheel"? since it makes it moce forward? Is it the "right hand rule" (or was it left... cant remember) in "copperwire physics", that shall give the force forward?

[millamulisha]

This is super important if one where to make an extended lifespan satellite, I.E. no on board fuel... Very cool... Complex frequent maneuvers without the need to carry fuel.

[TheReasonWhyGuy]

Exactly... people need to recognize good ideas, when they're presented :D

[drcaos]

Interesting

[primitiveregi]

with this it could attract and then repel each other it could travel almost unlimited ( if there's light source) just attract and switch place each other and then repel again i guess

[TheReasonWhyGuy]

TheReasonWhy this wouldn't work like that is, because to move, it would have to displace an equal amount of mass, by energy. So, in effect, it couldn't travel an infinite distance, unless along the way, you have an infinite number of other satellites to displace the movement.

[123hihi1]

or just use a solar sail with a really advanced processor with small motors attached to be able to manipulate the sail in order to steer, just a thought

[Mattisbehindyou]

uhm. no comment

[bessarabia7]

wtf????

[TGGeko]

cool beans

[srofficial06]

werner von braun had a design for a doughnut magnet shaped electriclly propelled spaceship i read about it in a 1966 edition of popular science magazine

[TonyTuthill]

Does this account for space being electromagnetically charged? Wouldn't the craft be affected by flowing fields in space?

[babo14]

We can make our own small planets YAY what technology!!!

[mickey8643]

wut?

[boretime]

what's that for?

[clauzii]

This is a brilliant idea since the coolant is in vast amounts out there. But to really stear that thing like a plane, very strong fields have to be made.

[BrokenCompass2]

I am not sure if I would agree, it's not like it would be competing against friction. I suppose it also depends on proximity though.

[stickytoes420]

would it grab space trash?

[cagronomy]

I doubt it could catch it. Even if they both became attached it wouldn't be able to control their movement.

[roidroid]

this system certainly makes it easy to DODGE space trash

[Beliserius1]

lets just hope China doesnt pull another ASAT test which created a HUGE field of debres while performing an unimpressive test.

[annihil8ted]

dude shut up

[kingy0489]

Either that or attract it...

[iggypayne]

then just add a propellant when the designing is done =.= one step at a time. Humans din go from walking to cars immediately. One day ud be laugh at for laughing at ideas of science 'fictions'

[centpushups]

no fiction in space.

bonne video

[AMAZINGPROSTATE]

too cool...

[DeimosSaturn]

This design seems like it's only useful if you have more than one vessel or probe that will work in tandem. No usage of propellant of any kind to move around in a vacuum with zero g, just electrical power from the sun. That seems like the holy grail of space travel. Too bad it only works if you have 2 ships. It also seems you can't make major course corrections with this system.

[balderdash707]

...what?

This doesn't offer long distance propulsion, nothing in this system can accelerate the center of gravity of the combined system.

It's only for doing exactly what the title says, which is help fly in formation. Obviously that would be useless if you have only one ship.

[DeimosSaturn]

Thanks for repeating and agreeing with exactly what I said only in a tone that makes it seem like everything I said was wrong.

[balderdash707]

What you said was correct, but the way you said it made it seem like the idea presented in the video was all but useless. I was simply returning the favor.

[vid082783]

man, you ruined my belief in ufos

[canti1988]

hmmmm, MIT here an idea, why not build an electromagnet rail gun on the moon. Big enough to lauch spacecarft and stalites into deep space.

[menace82]

What about acceleration? The astronauts will turn into astro-ketchup with with a violent acceleration... That's a good idea for non-manned expeditions...

[moxxfactor]

how does acceleration g-force works in a near-vaccuum? is it the same amount of pressure on the body of astronauts as it is on 1G sea-level earth?

[matieman77]

it depends on how fast you accelerate, if you accelerate at 10m/s per second, there will be the same amount of g-force as there is gravity on earth.

[Rikotistic]

I missed this one. Extremely awesome. MIT rules--still behind in the robot battles though. By the way, need one more dot (of course that dot must be broken down into supra-dots and supra-supra-dots of the supradots). Orchestrate that vibratory work of the big "whateva" and everyone we want to go up will stay up of it's own free will (which I saw losely and not at all to be confused with hooman "free will") Jesus, or Horus, I need another coffee!

[gun844]

you are a slave so you don't have free will.

[SamHjA]

Neat concept - I suspect if the Wright Brothers had commissioned a computer animation before making their first plane, it would have also looked unfeasible. However, I thought it was a pity that in spite of their huge budget and brains behind the concept, they still got a spelling typo for 'Reaction' (2:09)! Let's hope the guys who build the prototype get it checked.

[DamienZshadow]

lol as a Bio major I've run across this joke hundreds of times. Scientists may be smart but we never know how to spell XP

[VidVoyeur612]

Just by watching with the sound turned off, I'm going to take a stab in the dark, and say this can be used to keep an array of defense satellites in formation. Sorry if I sounded too obvious.

[DamienZshadow]

It could be used for any satellites. Keeping them in orbit is easy enough, but as you said, formation and reformation will be something this technology can offer us without having to spend so much money on a mission to reposition a satellite.

[RoboTekno]

pretty cool concept

[MiniMaxis468]

this is cool and all but i don't see how they would move very far

maybe i'm just dumb

[BillyBobsEel]

i think once they start reppeling theres not much so dtop them (air resistance and what not)

[MiniMaxis468]

oh yea right

but they will be like really slow right?

[thecore12345]

Yeah, but the magnets can switch the position of the poles so they can move back and forth, and in any other direction.

[glendouglas2]

you know guys wouldnt it be better just to use the earth ocen curent for power

you ancer genarator at the bottom where the sea curent is and let the ocen do the rest

i can understand if you in power in space

[DamienZshadow]

yea...there's no oceans in space. lol

but this technology is aimed more for space travel then any terrestrial reasons.

[sasukesan767]

but can solar panels have enough power to work those super conducting magnets?

[Twodaystogo]

the temp in spcae is allready cold right?

[Mattnesss]

aight, temperature shouldn't be much of a problem.

[atotti2000]

Yeah, like a couple of Kelvin

[Razgrits]

@Twodaystogo I think that depends... it should be really hot when the sun is facing you and really cold behind the shadow of a planet.

[felderup]

@Twodaystogo because of the two ways of measuring heat, direct measure of the waves/energy given off, and the motion of atoms/molecules, the temperature measurements disagree. there's so little stuff in space that you can't feel the heat to measure it, so it's cold, but the motion of atoms and molecules say it's several thousand degrees out there.

[feerof]

i agree with klez, this video isn't very clear about what it is used for. like an example would be nice.

[KlezHunter1]

cool, first post, but i dont get it