Oleg Zabluda's blog
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
 
David Hahn (1976-present) aka the "Radioactive Boy Scout" built his "breeder reactor" in 1994 as follows:
David Hahn (1976-present) aka the "Radioactive Boy Scout" built his "breeder reactor" in 1994 as follows:

Source of alpha-particles was Radium (he found Radium paint in an old clock with a Geiger counter) and Americium from damaged smoke detectors.

His friend gave him some Beryllium from a chemistry lab.

alpha-particles + Beryllium/Aluminim = neutrons

He bought a small amount of pitchblende (Uranium ore) from Czechoslovakia as well as found a quarter trunkload of it on the shores of Lake Huron with a Geiger counter.

He got Thorium from replacement mantles for gas lanterns, which his accomplice stole from a store, he worked for.

His moderator was graphite [1].

"Breeder reactor" consisted of pulverized and mixed Radium/Americium/Beryllium/Aluminum neutron source, covered with a blanket of Thorium ash, natural Uranium powder, and graphite, all wrapped in aluminum foil and duct tape.

It was a breeder, but not a reactor, because there was no chain reaction [2]. He achieved radiation level 1000x the background, and it kept increasing, when he decided to dismantle it.

His reactor and potting shed had to be buried in a low-level radioactive waste facility in Utah. 

[1] and, irrelevantly, some tritium, which he stole from bow and gun sights, buying them, scrapping tritium, and returning as defective.

[2] He would need much larger quantities and much purer graphite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn#Creation_of_the_reactor
http://harpers.org/archive/1998/11/the-radioactive-boy-scout/?single=1
http://books.google.com/books?id=OJJl0XoQjR4C
http://books.google.com/books?id=OJJl0XoQjR4C

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- posted by Oleg Zabluda @ 4:55 PM | permalink | | | technorati | bloglines | feedster
 
Radiation levels on the surface of Mars, measured by Curiosity rover, is 1 millisievert per day.
Radiation levels on the surface of Mars, measured by Curiosity rover, is 1 millisievert per day. Big deal! It's just like in my Kiev flat after Chernobyl exploded in 1986 [1]

1 millisievert per day is the same as inside ISS, 5x greater than in an airplane, and 300x than on the Surface of Earth (outside Chernobyl), and half of radiation levels Curiosity experienced during its 9-month cruise through deep space.

Fatal prompt radiation poisoning dose is on the order of 1 Sievert.

[1] Although within a week, it decreased 0.05 millisievert per day and within 3 months to 0.01 millisievert per day. I was cleaning the flat with an illegally obtained Geiger Counter:

На улице чисто, и чисто в квартире –
Спасибо реактору номер четыре.

See also:
https://plus.google.com/112065430692128821190/posts/NWPZZ2hXtC3
https://plus.google.com/112065430692128821190/posts/NCbmYfQGZfV
https://plus.google.com/112065430692128821190/posts/DCqCthHXQ68

=============

http://www.marssociety.org/home/about/faq#TOC-Q:-What-are-the-dangers-from-radiation-in-transit-and-on-the-surface-of-Mars-
http://xkcd.com/radiation/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster#Radiation_levels
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster#Radiation_levels_2

http://www.evangelie.ru/forum/t83263.html
http://www.chornobyl.ru/ru/exclusion-zone/8-radionuclide/26-kiev-radio.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station#Radiation

http://chornobyl.in.ua/karta-radionulid-ukraine.html
http://www.chornobyl.ru/ru/exclusion-zone/8-radionuclide/26-kiev-radio.html

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- posted by Oleg Zabluda @ 3:56 PM | permalink | | | technorati | bloglines | feedster
 
X-15 vs SpaceshipOne
X-15 vs SpaceshipOne

North American X-15 (1959-1970)
Crew: one pilot
Length: 50 ft 9 in (15.45 m)
Wingspan: 22 ft 4 in (6.8 m)
Wing area: 200 ft2 (18.6 m²)
Empty weight: 14,600 lb (6,620 kg)
Loaded weight: 34,000 lb (15,420 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 34,000 lb (15,420 kg) - 57,000lb (25,900 kg)
Powerplant: 1×Thiokol LOX/NH3 liquid-fuel rocket engine (31,300 kgf)
Isp: 279 s
Burn time: 87-150 seconds
Thrust/weight: 2.07-4.0
Maximum speed: Mach 6.72 (4,520 mph, 7,274 km/h)
Service ceiling: 354,330 ft (108 km) . Could go to 120km, but couldn't reliably reenter.
Range: 280 mi (450 km)
Rate of climb: 60,000 ft/min (18,288 m/min)
Wing loading: 170 lb/ft2 (829 kg/m²)


Scaled Composites SpaceshipOne (2003-2004)
Crew: one, pilot, 2 passengers
Length: 28 ft (8.53 m) ()
Wingspan: 16 ft 5 in (8.05 m)
Wing area: 161.4 ft² (15 m²)
Empty weight: 2,640 lb (1,200 kg)
Loaded weight: 7,920 lb (3,600 kg)
Powerplant: 1×SpaceDev N2O/Rubber Hybrid rocket motor, 7,500 kgf
Isp: 250 s
Burn time: 87 seconds
Thrust/weight: 2.08
Maximum speed: Mach 3.09 (2,170 mph, 3,518 km/h)
Service ceiling: 367,360 ft (112 km)
Range: 40 mi (65 km)
Rate of climb: 82,000 ft/min (416.6 m/s)
Wing loading: 49.07 lb/ft² (240 kg/m²)

X-15 altitude records: The FAI set the limit of space at 100 km. Two of X-15 flights went higher in 1963 (105.9 km and 107.8 km), thus not qualifying for airplane altitude records. Since 1962, X-15 holds world altitude record of 95.9 km. This record can be beat only once. Beating it would require minimum 3% improvement, i.e. 98.8 km. Next 3% improvement would be a disqualifying 101.7 km.

X-15 holds an official world record for the fastest speed ever reached by a manned aircraft of Mach 6.72 since 1967. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_X-15
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_X-15_flights
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipOne
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_X-15

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- posted by Oleg Zabluda @ 2:12 PM | permalink | | | technorati | bloglines | feedster
 
How US elections are impacted by a 100 million year old coastline
How US elections are impacted by a 100 million year old coastline

Gist: ~100Mya Atlantic Ocean coast was "inland", creating Chalk Belt, creating Good Soil Belt, creating Cotton Belt, creating Negro Slave Belt, creating Black Belt, which now votes overwhelmingly Democratic (blue) in the sea of red (Republican).

Geology (= old Geography) is destiny. 

http://deepseanews.com/2012/06/how-presidential-elections-are-impacted-by-a-100-million-year-old-coastline/

You can also see the belt here:
http://uxblog.idvsolutions.com/2012/11/election-2012.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Interior_Seaway
http://deepseanews.com/2012/06/how-presidential-elections-are-impacted-by-a-100-million-year-old-coastline/

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- posted by Oleg Zabluda @ 12:19 PM | permalink | | | technorati | bloglines | feedster

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