Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!sri-unix!Dale.Amon@CMU-RI-FAS From: Dale.Amon%CMU-RI-FAS@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.space Subject: More of same Message-ID: <12324@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Sat, 11-Aug-84 17:08:59 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.12324 Posted: Sat Aug 11 17:08:59 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 14-Aug-84 01:29:41 EDT Lines: 39 Item #1: The solar electric car may well be an idea whose time is coming. I can name two other recent MAJOR contributing breakthroughs: 1) Polyacetylene batteries 2) The new magnet materials The batteries should be available fairly soon; I think Allied Electronics is supposed to market them. They have about an order of magnitude imporvement over lead-acid in kw-hr/lb, and are at least as rechargeable. The new magnetic material is about double (?) the field strength of the current best available, and is not expected to be terribly expensive. It is expected to lead to improved starter motors. I suspect it may also improve good old electric motors for the wheels. I do wonder if anyone has a solution to the low end torque problem; maybe a flywheel? I do enjoy taking out a sportscar and laying rubber in the first three gears... We'll know it's really here to stay when an elcetric car beats an Offie at Indy. Item 2: The russians may finally be considering serious use of women astronauts, but I can't help feeling a nagging doubt when I look at the originally published NASA launch schedule for this year and notice that an american women was scheduled for a spacewalk in August, and Sally Ride was scheduled to go up again. Funny thing that the Russian's did both so shortly before those original dates... #Item 3 I wonder if it has crossed anyone else's mind that if the Russians are indeed going for a full year, then April of this year may just be one of the most significant dates in the history of the earth: The last day in history when human life was not present in space.