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Presentation made for TEDxYouth Vision Newtown
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"...If my creation can help humanity overcome its greatest dilemma and rekindle a passion amongst my peers to explore, innovate and think, then my job is done." |
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September 22, 2018
TedX speech script:
I want you all to think back to a time in your childhood when something really grabbed your attention, where that first impression changed your life. It can be an object, it can be an idea. It can be either good or bad. Maybe your interest in this object or idea became a hobby, or even inspired you to make it your job. For me, my inspiration was the sky.
Here is a picture of when I was very little, maybe just a toddler. I looked up at the full moon through my fingers and sighed. "Ah, the moon", I said to myself. The warm, yet cold, the unreachable, yet close moon tantalized me, even at such a young age. I grew to love planes, that could soar into the sky and meet the moon. Recognizing my love for planes, my parents took me to air shows to watch planes twirl and twist, back and forth, creating patterns and noise. My fondest memory was sitting below a B-52 Stratofortress right next to the wheel and wondering how such a heavy, monstrous beast could take to the air and fly as gracefully as any bird. Finally, I was able to visit the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The gigantic rockets and space shuttles peaked my interest in space. Even though I knew I loved space and planes, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in life. It was just a hobby, I told myself. Flights of fancy that will disappear once I grew. However, that love didn't go away. I still had the same curiosity that the 5-year-old me had, wishing to someday reach out and touch the moon.
Thus, aerospace engineering is what I want to dedicate my life to. Its roots are deep are the Earth, yet its branches scrape the sky. It just may be the solution to critical issues facing my generation. We need to create a leap, not small steps, in propulsion and energy conversion and whatever to straddle the gap. Thus, my solution is Orca.
Orca is a multipurpose spaceplane designed for efficiency and cost effectiveness. It combines many emerging technologies, such as aerogel, forward-swept wings, compact fusion, and hybrid air-breathing and rocket engines to create a whole greater than the combined parts. As I learned about the opportunities and limitations of the components, I began to create different versions to solve these problems, which leads to the current version of Orca, version 5.
Orca is powered by one Lockheed Martin compact fusion engine and two SABRE engines. Although Lockheed Martin has submitted a patent for the compact fusion engine, no specifics were released. However, we can guess thrust, weight and acceleration from hypothetical drawings in its patent, such as a F-16 Fighting Falcon that is shown to contain a compact fusion engine. The benefit to compact fusion is that it can produce lots of change in velocity, or delta v, out of very little. However, hypothetical fusion engines also provide little acceleration, and are more suited to long trips in space. Thus, two SABRE engines, hybrid air and oxidizer burning engines are added, which provide crucial acceleration during liftoff and orbit circularization.
Another problem with fusion is that the nuclear fusion reaction produces lots of waste heat. This can be remedied by radiators, which retract during atmospheric flight or reentry.
The hull of the aircraft consists of 5 layers. The first layer are ceramic tiles to protect against the heat of reentry. The second layer is the aluminum alloy mainframe, followed by a sealing epoxy to seal holes that may form in the hull of the spaceplane. Next, a layer of graphene aerogel, a lightweight, strong, airtight insulator, is added and finally the inside is coated with polyethylene plastic, which protects against alpha and beta radiation.
The final problem with nuclear fusion is that its reaction produces high-speed neutrons, which cause neutron embrittlement, damaging both the spacecraft and the passengers. Neutrons can be shielded by concrete or water, but these materials are heavy, and covering the entire spacecraft with concrete will make the craft unflyable. Thus, a shadow shield, or section of shielding directly in front of the engine, can shield the rest of the craft from radiation in a cone, or shadow. Forward-swept wings allow the wings to stay within the shadow shield and allow for greater maneuverability.
Orca was designed with a few missions in mind: as a superfast interplanetary transport that could travel the globe in hours, as a cheap and efficient shuttle to the moon, and as a interplanetary exploration vehicle. The fusion engine, along with its unique hull and design all make this possible.
From Earth orbit to interplanetary transport, Orca is designed to help humans take a good look back at Earth and to look forward into the future, I may never set foot on the Moon or Mars. I may never leave Earth. I may never even touch anything from a different world. But if my creation can help humanity overcome its greatest dilemma and rekindle a passion amongst my peers to explore, innovate and think, then my job is done.
Thank you.
TedX speech script:
I want you all to think back to a time in your childhood when something really grabbed your attention, where that first impression changed your life. It can be an object, it can be an idea. It can be either good or bad. Maybe your interest in this object or idea became a hobby, or even inspired you to make it your job. For me, my inspiration was the sky.
Here is a picture of when I was very little, maybe just a toddler. I looked up at the full moon through my fingers and sighed. "Ah, the moon", I said to myself. The warm, yet cold, the unreachable, yet close moon tantalized me, even at such a young age. I grew to love planes, that could soar into the sky and meet the moon. Recognizing my love for planes, my parents took me to air shows to watch planes twirl and twist, back and forth, creating patterns and noise. My fondest memory was sitting below a B-52 Stratofortress right next to the wheel and wondering how such a heavy, monstrous beast could take to the air and fly as gracefully as any bird. Finally, I was able to visit the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The gigantic rockets and space shuttles peaked my interest in space. Even though I knew I loved space and planes, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in life. It was just a hobby, I told myself. Flights of fancy that will disappear once I grew. However, that love didn't go away. I still had the same curiosity that the 5-year-old me had, wishing to someday reach out and touch the moon.
Thus, aerospace engineering is what I want to dedicate my life to. Its roots are deep are the Earth, yet its branches scrape the sky. It just may be the solution to critical issues facing my generation. We need to create a leap, not small steps, in propulsion and energy conversion and whatever to straddle the gap. Thus, my solution is Orca.
Orca is a multipurpose spaceplane designed for efficiency and cost effectiveness. It combines many emerging technologies, such as aerogel, forward-swept wings, compact fusion, and hybrid air-breathing and rocket engines to create a whole greater than the combined parts. As I learned about the opportunities and limitations of the components, I began to create different versions to solve these problems, which leads to the current version of Orca, version 5.
Orca is powered by one Lockheed Martin compact fusion engine and two SABRE engines. Although Lockheed Martin has submitted a patent for the compact fusion engine, no specifics were released. However, we can guess thrust, weight and acceleration from hypothetical drawings in its patent, such as a F-16 Fighting Falcon that is shown to contain a compact fusion engine. The benefit to compact fusion is that it can produce lots of change in velocity, or delta v, out of very little. However, hypothetical fusion engines also provide little acceleration, and are more suited to long trips in space. Thus, two SABRE engines, hybrid air and oxidizer burning engines are added, which provide crucial acceleration during liftoff and orbit circularization.
Another problem with fusion is that the nuclear fusion reaction produces lots of waste heat. This can be remedied by radiators, which retract during atmospheric flight or reentry.
The hull of the aircraft consists of 5 layers. The first layer are ceramic tiles to protect against the heat of reentry. The second layer is the aluminum alloy mainframe, followed by a sealing epoxy to seal holes that may form in the hull of the spaceplane. Next, a layer of graphene aerogel, a lightweight, strong, airtight insulator, is added and finally the inside is coated with polyethylene plastic, which protects against alpha and beta radiation.
The final problem with nuclear fusion is that its reaction produces high-speed neutrons, which cause neutron embrittlement, damaging both the spacecraft and the passengers. Neutrons can be shielded by concrete or water, but these materials are heavy, and covering the entire spacecraft with concrete will make the craft unflyable. Thus, a shadow shield, or section of shielding directly in front of the engine, can shield the rest of the craft from radiation in a cone, or shadow. Forward-swept wings allow the wings to stay within the shadow shield and allow for greater maneuverability.
Orca was designed with a few missions in mind: as a superfast interplanetary transport that could travel the globe in hours, as a cheap and efficient shuttle to the moon, and as a interplanetary exploration vehicle. The fusion engine, along with its unique hull and design all make this possible.
From Earth orbit to interplanetary transport, Orca is designed to help humans take a good look back at Earth and to look forward into the future, I may never set foot on the Moon or Mars. I may never leave Earth. I may never even touch anything from a different world. But if my creation can help humanity overcome its greatest dilemma and rekindle a passion amongst my peers to explore, innovate and think, then my job is done.
Thank you.