Spacecraft built from graphene could fly without any fuel.

[thesolar65]

@Skull and Bones @Ryuzaki @KAL-EL @Peter C @45'22' @gslv @jarves @levina @WAJsal @karakoram @Azizam @Akheilos @SvenSvensonov@AUSTERLITZ

Even though it is only one atom thick, graphene is 200 times stronger than steel. It conducts heat and electricity with great efficiency, is nearly transparent, and might just be the most useful material ever discovered. The amazing properties of graphene, as well as the many inventions that have spawned from its discovery, are becoming too numerous to count. Now scientists have stumbled upon yet another incredible hallmark of this wonder material: it turns light into motion, reports New Scientist.

This latest graphene breakthrough came entirely by accident. Researchers discovered it while using a laser to cut a sponge made of crumpled sheets of graphene oxide. As the laser cut into the material, it mysteriously propelled forwards. Although lasers have been shown to shove single molecules around, they shouldn't be physically capable of moving a structure as large as the graphene sponge.

Baffled, researchers investigated further. The graphene material was put in a vacuum and again shot with a laser. Incredibly, the laser still pushed the sponge forward, and by as much as 40 centimeters. Researchers even got the graphene to move by focusing ordinary sunlight on it with a lens.

How is this possible? Researchers still aren't sure, but there are two leading theories. One explanation is that the material is acting like a solar sail. Basically, photons can transfer momentum to an object and propel it forwards, and in the vacuum of space this effect can accumulate and even generate enough thrust to move a spacecraft.

When researchers tested the solar sail theory, however, it worked too well. This led them to consider a second possibility, that the graphene is absorbing the laser's energy, building up a charge of electrons. Eventually extra electrons are released, which act like a propellant, pushing the graphene material in the opposite direction.

Though this second theory is a bit vague and incomplete, scientists were able to detect a current flowing away from the graphene as it was exposed to a laser, suggesting that the theory is at least on the right track.

So what does this all mean? It means that researchers may have just accidentally discovered a propulsion system for a spacecraft that requires no fuel whatsoever. Essentially, a spacecraft built from graphene could explore the heavens powered by nothing more than sunlight.

"While the propulsion force is still smaller than conventional chemical rockets, it is already several orders larger than that from light pressure," wrote researcher Yongsheng Chen and colleagues of the discovery.

More study is required before researchers can say for sure if the material can offer a viable alternative to fuel propulsion, but the results so far are exciting. Truly, there seems to be no end to the amazing qualities of graphene.

Spacecraft built from graphene could fly without any fuel | MNN - Mother Nature Network

 

[Dubious]

Interesting!!

 

[Skull and Bones]

This phenomenon of inducing motion with light is nothing new, it's called optical trapping in scientific circle. It can be used to manipulate nano sized particles, like DNA for different purpose.

http://www.nature.com/nnano/journal/v8/n11/full/nnano.2013.208.html

When photons strike a particle, the scattered field generates it's own force, which can be controlled to trap the particle, or move the particle.

The unique property of Graphene is, it can be made a single atom layer thick, hence lighter than many molecules used for optical trapping, hence these rapid movement. And i do not agree with the second theory of absorbing Laser's energy to accumulate charge, because the lattice space of Graphene is very well defined, and any oscillation of electrons induced by the incident electromagnetic field will attenuate rapidly.

 

[Zhukov]

Transparent Daggers completely undetectable by metal detectors

 

[karakoram]

Amazing

 

[Shamain]

But when sunlight wont be around how will the craft move and how thru light craft's direction will be controlled.

 

[mr.robot]

There is already a project being crowd funded named as LightSail by Planetary Society. They have just completed a test flight and sail called back home.

LightSail | The Planetary Society
LightSail: A Revolutionary Solar Sailing Spacecraft by Bill Nye, CEO, The Planetary Society — Kickstarter
Bill Nye’s LightSail spacecraft is back in touch with Earth after rebooting itself | The Verge

But when sunlight wont be around how will the craft move and how thru light craft's direction will be controlled.

In space, there is no night. Sun shines 24/7.

 

[45'22']

@Skull and Bones @Ryuzaki @KAL-EL @Peter C @45'22' @gslv @jarves @levina @WAJsal @karakoram @Azizam @Akheilos @SvenSvensonov@AUSTERLITZ

Even though it is only one atom thick, graphene is 200 times stronger than steel. It conducts heat and electricity with great efficiency, is nearly transparent, and might just be the most useful material ever discovered. The amazing properties of graphene, as well as the many inventions that have spawned from its discovery, are becoming too numerous to count. Now scientists have stumbled upon yet another incredible hallmark of this wonder material: it turns light into motion, reports New Scientist.

This latest graphene breakthrough came entirely by accident. Researchers discovered it while using a laser to cut a sponge made of crumpled sheets of graphene oxide. As the laser cut into the material, it mysteriously propelled forwards. Although lasers have been shown to shove single molecules around, they shouldn't be physically capable of moving a structure as large as the graphene sponge.

Baffled, researchers investigated further. The graphene material was put in a vacuum and again shot with a laser. Incredibly, the laser still pushed the sponge forward, and by as much as 40 centimeters. Researchers even got the graphene to move by focusing ordinary sunlight on it with a lens.

How is this possible? Researchers still aren't sure, but there are two leading theories. One explanation is that the material is acting like a solar sail. Basically, photons can transfer momentum to an object and propel it forwards, and in the vacuum of space this effect can accumulate and even generate enough thrust to move a spacecraft.

When researchers tested the solar sail theory, however, it worked too well. This led them to consider a second possibility, that the graphene is absorbing the laser's energy, building up a charge of electrons. Eventually extra electrons are released, which act like a propellant, pushing the graphene material in the opposite direction.

Though this second theory is a bit vague and incomplete, scientists were able to detect a current flowing away from the graphene as it was exposed to a laser, suggesting that the theory is at least on the right track.

So what does this all mean? It means that researchers may have just accidentally discovered a propulsion system for a spacecraft that requires no fuel whatsoever. Essentially, a spacecraft built from graphene could explore the heavens powered by nothing more than sunlight.

"While the propulsion force is still smaller than conventional chemical rockets, it is already several orders larger than that from light pressure," wrote researcher Yongsheng Chen and colleagues of the discovery.

More study is required before researchers can say for sure if the material can offer a viable alternative to fuel propulsion, but the results so far are exciting. Truly, there seems to be no end to the amazing qualities of graphene.

Spacecraft built from graphene could fly without any fuel | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Nice thread

Are there any constraints??I mean how does the price of graphene compare with other metals/elements

 

[Shamain]

There is already a project being crowd funded named as LightSail by Planetary Society. They have just completed a test flight and sail called back home.

LightSail | The Planetary Society
LightSail: A Revolutionary Solar Sailing Spacecraft by Bill Nye, CEO, The Planetary Society — Kickstarter
Bill Nye’s LightSail spacecraft is back in touch with Earth after rebooting itself | The Verge

In space, there is no night. Sun shines 24/7.

Oooooo iknow night and day is on earth only cuz of atmosphere and rotation. Subah Allah.

Like moon doesnt have day. But u know space is always shown as dark so i totally forgot. So is space(our solar system) all lit up by silvery light all the time? Silver light of sun.

 

[Taygibay]

Nice thread solar65 although it was a fit for Sven's Micro stories too ( the two of you
could and IMHoO should start a Science News thread for our common benefit on PDF.


@Shamain young lady, the moon has a day and night cycle that is just not apparent from
Earth due to tidal locking. The gravitational pull of our planet is so huge for our satellite
that it keeps it facing us seeing only half ( a little more actually, 58-9%, due to libration ).
But that is a local view.

When the Moon is visible during the day which you noticed of course, it is intact partially
in line with the Sun and at times completely, an eclipse. In which case the "moon day" is
on the away side for us, receiving all that light it blocks from us? When a full moon occurs
though, "our" side is fully lit at night reflecting all the light from the Sun in reverse of the pre-
vious, the "moon day" towards us?

The proper way to compute a Lunar Day ( its proper name ) would be to forget Earth entirely
( as in build a base there and not come back ( save on vacation )) and judge the day and
night process from a location on our satellite. In that case, a Lunar day is the same as the
one from full moon to full moon or a big 27 of our days. But since the Moon also moves
through space for that period along the Earth's orbit since it circles it, so relative to the Sun,
the real result adds this progression around our star and is called a synodic period of 29.5 of
the days you and I are accustomed to!

Finally, the so-called solar sail is not the end all space travel mode although it is the prettiest.
Such sails can be made ( and graphene will come in handy there too ) to gather space matter
and direct it for consumption by a nuclear reactor of sorts. This would be better for interstellar
missions since star wind is absent for long stretches at the levels fond in a solar system.
That ship would shine a lot less save by the exhaust though.
True independence would be using gravity as a propulsion source. That will not be visible and
thus be the less visually attractive option.

Are there any constraints??I mean how does the price of graphene compare with other metals/elements

Cheaper by the minute or almost :

The Price Of Graphene – Graphenea

Great day all, Tay.

 

[Bhoot Pishach]

Even though it is only one atom thick, graphene is 200 times stronger than steel. It conducts heat and electricity with great efficiency, is nearly transparent, and might just be the most useful material ever discovered. The amazing properties of graphene, as well as the many inventions that have spawned from its discovery, are becoming too numerous to count. Now scientists have stumbled upon yet another incredible hallmark of this wonder material: it turns light into motion, reports New Scientist.

This latest graphene breakthrough came entirely by accident. Researchers discovered it while using a laser to cut a sponge made of crumpled sheets of graphene oxide. As the laser cut into the material, it mysteriously propelled forwards. Although lasers have been shown to shove single molecules around, they shouldn't be physically capable of moving a structure as large as the graphene sponge.

Baffled, researchers investigated further. The graphene material was put in a vacuum and again shot with a laser. Incredibly, the laser still pushed the sponge forward, and by as much as 40 centimeters. Researchers even got the graphene to move by focusing ordinary sunlight on it with a lens.

How is this possible? Researchers still aren't sure, but there are two leading theories. One explanation is that the material is acting like a solar sail. Basically, photons can transfer momentum to an object and propel it forwards, and in the vacuum of space this effect can accumulate and even generate enough thrust to move a spacecraft.

When researchers tested the solar sail theory, however, it worked too well. This led them to consider a second possibility, that the graphene is absorbing the laser's energy, building up a charge of electrons. Eventually extra electrons are released, which act like a propellant, pushing the graphene material in the opposite direction.

Though this second theory is a bit vague and incomplete, scientists were able to detect a current flowing away from the graphene as it was exposed to a laser, suggesting that the theory is at least on the right track.

So what does this all mean? It means that researchers may have just accidentally discovered a propulsion system for a spacecraft that requires no fuel whatsoever. Essentially, a spacecraft built from graphene could explore the heavens powered by nothing more than sunlight.

"While the propulsion force is still smaller than conventional chemical rockets, it is already several orders larger than that from light pressure," wrote researcher Yongsheng Chen and colleagues of the discovery.

More study is required before researchers can say for sure if the material can offer a viable alternative to fuel propulsion, but the results so far are exciting. Truly, there seems to be no end to the amazing qualities of graphene.

Spacecraft built from graphene could fly without any fuel | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Interesting!

It is like Ship sailing powered by wind in old days.

Here only difference is that Spacecraft might be sailing by Wind of Ionic & Photon Radiation from Sun.

 

[Solomon2]

...i do not agree with the second theory of absorbing Laser's energy to accumulate charge, because the lattice space of Graphene is very well defined, and any oscillation of electrons induced by the incident electromagnetic field will attenuate rapidly.

If the graphene was wire, yes. But here we're talking about a sheet. Electron mobility and even relativistic mass in graphene sheets can be very high.

Essentially the argument is that the graphene has stored energy which is released in a momentum-transferring mechanism. When the excess energy or electrons are depleted from the partially-filled orbitals unique to graphene, then this mechanism either stops or the graphene structure itself has to change...the sheet will distort or disintegrate.

 

[Shamain]

Nice thread solar65 although it was a fit for Sven's Micro stories too ( the two of you
could and IMHoO should start a Science News thread for our common benefit on PDF.


@Shamain young lady, the moon has a day and night cycle that is just not apparent from
Earth due to tidal locking. The gravitational pull of our planet is so huge for our satellite
that it keeps it facing us seeing only half ( a little more actually, 58-9%, due to libration ).
But that is a local view.

When the Moon is visible during the day which you noticed of course, it is intact partially
in line with the Sun and at times completely, an eclipse. In which case the "moon day" is
on the away side for us, receiving all that light it blocks from us? When a full moon occurs
though, "our" side is fully lit at night reflecting all the light from the Sun in reverse of the pre-
vious, the "moon day" towards us?

The proper way to compute a Lunar Day ( its proper name ) would be to forget Earth entirely
( as in build a base there and not come back ( save on vacation )) and judge the day and
night process from a location on our satellite. In that case, a Lunar day is the same as the
one from full moon to full moon or a big 27 of our days. But since the Moon also moves
through space for that period along the Earth's orbit since it circles it, so relative to the Sun,
the real result adds this progression around our star and is called a synodic period of 29.5 of
the days you and I are accustomed to!

Finally, the so-called solar sail is not the end all space travel mode although it is the prettiest.
Such sails can be made ( and graphene will come in handy there too ) to gather space matter
and direct it for consumption by a nuclear reactor of sorts. This would be better for interstellar
missions since star wind is absent for long stretches at the levels fond in a solar system.
That ship would shine a lot less save by the exhaust though.
True independence would be using gravity as a propulsion source. That will not be visible and
thus be the less visually attractive option.



Cheaper by the minute or almost :

The Price Of Graphene – Graphenea

Great day all, Tay.

Oh no i know moon has a day and night cycle, imeant her day and nights look same unlike earth , as in on moon during day time the sky will be dark,our is blue cuz of atmosphere.
I found ur rest of the post very interesting, thanx for sharing the information.

--------
If graphene is going to be used 2 build spacehhip it will defo have to be mixed with other metals? Innit? Cuz its not a metal itself.

 

[ZooZoo]

But when sunlight wont be around how will the craft move and how thru light craft's direction will be controlled.

Cute Question ...

 

[Skull and Bones]

If the graphene was wire, yes. But here we're talking about a sheet. Electron mobility and even relativistic mass in graphene sheets can be very high.

Essentially the argument is that the graphene has stored energy which is released in a momentum-transferring mechanism. When the excess energy or electrons are depleted from the partially-filled orbitals unique to graphene, then this mechanism either stops or the graphene structure itself has to change...the sheet will distort or disintegrate.

This brings few interesting follow on questions, by transferring energy, was he meant that the particle was charged? Or the collective coherent oscillation of the Plasmons of the particle, which generates it's own dipole moment, to react with the field?
If the graphene structure changes, the energy released will be thermal, because of phonons. I'm wondering how that can translates into motion.