Space Station Sunday: Cool Flames And A Literal Space Race

This week on the International Space Station, research continued on an accidental but possibly very useful discovery concerning the properties of combustion. While working with the FLEX (Flame Extinguishing Experiment), an experiment designed to test methods of firefighting in microgravity, Earthbound scientific analyst Dr. Forman Williams noticed something odd. When heptane fuel was ignited in the ISS's special Combustion Integrated Rack (a securely sealed chamber in which fiery experiments can safely take place), it burned for some time, then appeared to die out. However, sensors measured that the fuel was still combusting invisibly between temperatures of 500K to 800K, with no flames in sight.

“We observed something that we didn’t think could exist,” Williams said.  "That’s right—they seemed to be burning without flames.  At first we didn’t believe it ourselves."

According to spaceflightinsider.com, the experiment was then replicated in various environments, in atmospheres similar to Earth’s, then in atmospheres infused with nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and helium.  The results showed a marked difference between the space flames and their combusting counterparts on Earth:  the invisible "cool flames" were more chilly than the visible ones found on Earth (temperature 1500K-2000K.)  Also, instead of the byproducts of soot, carbon dioxide and water, the "cool flames" emitted carbon monoxide and formaldehyde.

The cool flames are able to burn relaxedly in microgravity, as they form spheres and allow oxygen to approach slowly, letting chemical reactions occur at a more leisurely pace thanks to a lack of buoyancy which on Earth would have altered the heat and process of the combustion.  

Dr. Williams believes this new discovery may aid in creating cars with cleaner emissions.  It could alter the process of HCCI (homogeneous charge compression ignition) by compressing fuel and an oxidizer in the engine, rather than being ignited by a spark.

Williams explained, “The chemistry of HCCI involves cool flame chemistry. The extra control we get from steady-state burning on the ISS will give us more accurate chemistry values for this type of research.”

The results have been monitored by researchers from Cornell, NASA, Princeton, UC Davis, UC San Diego, the University of Connecticut, and the University of South Carolina.  A new round of testing, aptly and awesomely named the Cool Flame Investigation (band name alert!) will be underway soon.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

In scientific sporting news, NASA astronaut Steve Swanson will be in no danger of his bones succumbing to space atrophy, as he plans to run 31.3 miles on the ISS treadmill as part of a team for Colorado's Wild West Relay.  With five other teammates collaborating on the 200 mile, 2-day course from Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs, Swanson had been disappointed he'd miss the race while performing his duties as ISS Expedition 40 flight commander, but was given special permission by the Wild West Relay organizers to race from space.

As reported by runnersworld.com, two other astronauts, Sunita Williams and Dottie Metcalf, are also on the team, dubbed "200 Miles, 20 Orbits, and 90 Shillings." The team name is indicative of the number of orbits the ISS will make during the race, as well as a nod to a local Colorado beer. If Swanson is successful, he will beat Williams' record of the farthest run in space, which was completed when she simulated (and finished) the 2007 Boston Marathon while in orbit.

While Swanson, 53, is an accomplished athlete who has previously run the relay in full gravity, he will have to make adjustments for this particular situation. A harness applying 140 pounds of pull at his shoulders is a necessary counterweight in microgravity, and sweat pools (rather than drips) in the unique ISS environment. If he can deal with the heft of the harness and keep the beads of sweat from hovering in his eyes, he will have completed (albeit more arduously) the same chunk of challenge as the rest of his ultra-marathoner team. And according to him, that's what's important.

“The best part of being in the relay is being part of a team," Swanson says. "Just like space flight.”

Commander Swanson and his running rig.  And you thought your daily jog was tough.

Like? Everyone Outside The U.S. And Canada Can Join A Class-Action Lawsuit Against Facebook For Messing With Your Data

Like! Share! Friend! Poke! For all of Facebook's friendly antics, the fact remains that the NSA's Prism program actively monitors the site to gather data on users, and great swaths of marketing vultures have swooped in to feast on your information. Now, thanks to one Austrian innovator, the company may be held accountable for its actions.

Citing inexcusable breaches of privacy and data violations, Austrian law student Max Schrems has started a class-action lawsuit against Facebook, with users from anywhere outside the US and Canada welcome to join by signing in here. According to tech.firstpost.com, Schrems stated, “Our aim is to make Facebook finally operate lawfully in the area of data protection."

Facebook users can join the lawsuit with no financial risk to themselves. Schrems' financial goal for the case would be a payout of 500 Euros ($670) for each afflicted user. So if you feel like trying to get some payback for being spied on and emotionally manipulated by a social media site, here's your chance to try to get your voice heard...they already know what your face looks like.

U.S. and Canadian citizens will continue to be spied upon and emotionally manipulated.   

Spray-On Solar Cells Illuminate New Power-Harvesting Possibilities

Harnessing the power of the sun to fuel your electrical needs is an excellent plan, but one that for too many people is impeded by cost issues. Now, a new method of mass-producing solar cells may be a cost-effective way to bring the sunshine into your power lines.

Using a spray-on technique similar to how one would paint a car, solar cells can now be applied to a variety of surfaces. The precision of the spray method allows for little waste, lowering costs and enabling the technology to reach a wider collection net than regular solar panels.

According to factor-tech.com, the new spray-on cells are created from perovskite, a low-cost alternative to the popular silicon cells. Although new to the solar market, perovskite is proving its worth.

Professor David Lidzey, lead researcher from The University of Sheffield Department of Physics and Astronomy, remarked, “There is a lot of excitement around perovskite-based photovoltaics...Remarkably, this class of material offers the potential to combine the high performance of mature solar cell technologies with the low embedded energy costs of production of organic photovoltaics.”

The perovskite cells dominate organic solar cells' certified efficiency, operating at up to 19% as opposed to organic cells' 10%, and closing in on silicon's 25% certified efficiency. Fabrication-wise, the organic cells' light-absorbing layer, when replaced with perovskite, showed a definite boost in energy. While experiments with the perovskite cells currently have them running at 11% efficiency, scientists believe with more time and research the number will escalate.

Solar suits, solar sneakers, and more may follow as energy abundance becomes as easy to harness as a walk in the sunlight.

Solar grafitti could power not just an art movement, but your entire home.

Scotchmobile To The Rescue! UK Funds Booze-Byproduct Biofuel Company

Drinking and driving is bad...unless you're the car. Then it's a revolutionary new eco-friendly fuel idea.

Celtic Renewables, an Edinburgh-based biofuel company, has recently been granted £1.2 million (including £800,000 from the British government) to build a facility where byproducts from the distillation of scotch will be turned into biobutanol, a form of fuel that can power automobiles that run on gas or diesel. The funding will also allow Celtic Renewables to further their scientific testing on the processes and possibilities of what they do.

The biobutanol is derived from draff (sugary barley kernels soaked in water which act as a fermentation aid) as well as pot ale, the remaining yeast-filled liquid heated during the distillation process.

Celtic Renewables will be working in conjunction with Belgium's BioBase Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP) to achieve their biofuel goals. According to drinksbusiness.com, Professor Wim Soetaert, CEO of the BBEPP, said, “The transition from the current fossil-based economy towards a biobased economy is essential for industrial sustainability throughout Europe...Biobased production is already transforming a broad range of industries around the world and Celtic Renewables, making advanced biofuel and sustainable chemicals from whisky by-products, is exactly the kind of inspired innovation that our BBEPP is designed to support.” Celtic Renewables, the first company to deal in booze-based biofuel, will be working with BBEPP to replicate their results on an industrial scale.

So drink up...it's helping to fuel the future, and not just your next terrible drunken phone message/love song.

Scotch 'n science.  Neat.

Tesla And Panasonic Team Up To Bring The (Environmentally Friendly) Power To The People

The idea of a clean-energy car is a great and necessary one, but the challenge of creating non-cost-prohibitive EV batteries to run them was until recently still an issue. Now, clean-car pioneers Tesla, along with electronics giant Panasonic, have teamed up to take matters into their own hands.

According to engadget.com, Tesla and Panasonic announced that a major deal has been struck where the two companies will work together to mass-produce EV batteries at a new American factory (location to be determined.) The projected scale of the batteries' production will be large enough to eventually enable EV battery prices to drop.

The battery plant itself will take up between 500 and 1000 acres, and will employ 6,500 people. Current location speculations include Nevada, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico.

The terms of the deal state that Tesla will build and maintain the plant, while Panasonic will provide construction materials, lithium cells and manufacturing equipment. By 2020, Tesla is expecting to create 35GWh of cells and 50GWh of power packs to fuel some 500,000 of their cars.

While still pricey, Tesla cars will usher in a new era of transportation in a post-fossil-fuel world. Another golden age of American road travel could theoretically follow once it becomes inexpensive (and much more environmentally friendly) to drive cars again.  

Tesla automobiles being assembled.  Batteries definitely included.

3-D Bombs Away! U.S. Army Eyes "Printable" Explosives

The science of detonation physics is one that requires accuracy. The science of 3-D printing allows layers of material to be carefully plotted and strategically placed. The confluence of these two disciplines may soon literally be the bomb.

The U.S. Army is currently investigating how to create a new type of warhead using the technology of 3-D printing. This would theoretically allow them to have more control over precise design elements required to achieve a desired blast radius or to hit an extremely specific target, all in the same size as a conventional warhead. In a report from Army Technology magazine reprinted by popsci.com, U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center materials engineer James Zunino explained, “The real value you get is you can get more safety, lethality or operational capability from the same space."

Forward-placed 3-D printers could also expedite the testing processes for warheads in the field, a critical component of the design process. Soldiers could possibly print and test the weapons to discover the most desirable traits for a specialized mission within just a few days.

Peace remains unfit for print.

Something Is Awesome In The State Of Denmark: Wind Power Soon To Be Half As Expensive As Fossil Fuels

The world is warming up to the idea of alternative energy becoming the new norm, and now, Denmark believes it can augment the argument in a big way. Scientists claim that in two years, wind power in Denmark will be half the price of fossil fuels.

With other nations working to achieve parity between sustainable energy and fossil fuels, already developments have been made (for instance, in some parts of America, wind power is the same price as natural gas.) However Denmark is boldly blowing past parity, with Yale 360 reporting that two onshore wind power facilities launching in 2016 will provide electricity for as little as 5 Euro cents per kilowatt hour.

According to vice.com, Denmark is already operating with a 43% clean energy mix for their entire nation, and plan to have 50% of their power needs met by wind power by 2050. The framework is already in place. Denmark's energy minister Rasmus Peterson said, "Wind power today is cheaper than other forms of energy, not least because of a big commitment and professionalism in the field...This is true for researchers, companies and politicians. We need a long-term and stable energy policy to ensure that renewable energy, both today and in the future, is the obvious choice.”

With costs of turbine technology decreasing and the technology constantly improving, perhaps even more of the world will soon have windmills churning up clean energy.

The answer may, in fact, be blowin' in the wind.