SPACE-1999-0108-Dragons-Domain

Ahhh the old Man Eating Monster episode..... I remembered the beastie..... but had forgotten the rest of it.

Been thinking about this monster the last few days.

I used to enjoy these so much as a kid..... They are still pretty fucking good.

Space 1999, Thunderbirds, and UFO and perhaps one or two others...

I makes me think though.... getting away from sci-fi, with most meteor impacts by count - pulling the numbers out of my arse - there are 100 trillion billion specs of space dust hitting the moon every day, and then there are fairly rare unsurvivable impacts of say 10 Km wide and 3 Km deep......

But for the most part, deep underground bases - say 1Km sub surface, widely separated, with surface solar concentrator dishes generating 100Kw every 100 Km apart around the circumference of the moon.....


What is the diameter of a solar concentrator dish that with a 90% reflectivity, that will gather and focus, 100 Kw, on the moons equator?

**Solar Concentrator Dish Diameter for 100 kW @ 90% Reflectivity – Moon's Equator**

### Calculation:

| Parameter | Value | Notes |
|-----------|-------|-------|
| **Target Power** | 100 kW (100,000 W) | At focal point |
| **Lunar Solar Irradiance** | **1,361 W/m²** | Solar constant at Moon's distance; no atmosphere |
| **Reflectivity** | 90% (0.90) | Modern glass/aluminum mirrors |

**Formula:**
Diameter = 2 × √[Power / (Irradiance × Reflectivity × π)]

**Plug-in:**
Diameter = 2 × √[100,000 / (1,361 × 0.90 × 3.1416)]
= 2 × √(100,000 / 3,847.6)
= 2 × √25.99
= 2 × 5.10

### **Answer: ~10.2 meters (≈33.5 feet) diameter**

---

### **Advantages on the Moon:**

- **No atmospheric attenuation:** ~36% more solar energy than Earth's surface (1,361 vs. 1,000 W/m²).
- **No weather/clouds:** 100% uptime during lunar day (≈14 Earth days).
- **No wind loading:** Lighter dish structure possible.

### **Challenges:**

- **Extreme temperature swings:** -173 °C to +127 °C; materials must withstand thermal cycling.
- **Lunar dust (regolith):** Abrasive, electrostatically charged; will coat mirrors and reduce reflectivity.*****************************
- **Two-axis tracking still required:** Sun moves slowly across lunar sky (360° per Earth month).

**Bottom line:** A **10.2 m dish** on the Moon delivers the same 100 kW that requires a **12 m dish** on Earth.


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How do you electrically repell lunar dust?

**Lunar Dust Repulsion via Electrostatic Methods**

Lunar dust is electrostatically charged by solar UV radiation and plasma, causing it to adhere to surfaces. Electrical repulsion systems actively counteract this:

### **1. Electrodynamic Shield (EDS) – Most Promising**
- **Principle:** Apply **high-frequency AC voltage (1–10 kV, 0.1–10 kHz)** to a transparent conductive grid or film on surfaces (e.g., solar panels, visors).
- **Effect:** Creates a **time-varying electric field** that continuously repels dust particles (both positive and negative charges) through dielectrophoretic forces.
- **Power consumption:** ~5–10 W/m²
- **Status:** NASA prototype tested in vacuum chambers; not yet flight-proven

### **2. Active Electrostatic Dust Repeller**
- **Principle:** Maintain a **static high-voltage DC bias (>1 kV)** on surface electrodes, generating a **Coulomb barrier** that repels like-charged dust.
- **Limitation:** Only repels particles of **one polarity**; ineffective against neutral or oppositely charged dust .

### **3. UV-Photoelectric Neutralization**
- **Principle:** Use **UV lamps** to generate photoelectrons, neutralizing dust charge before it lands.
- **Effectiveness:** Works in shadowed regions where solar UV is absent; complements EDS .

### **Practical Challenges:**
- **Power consumption:** Continuous voltage requires ~50–100 W for a 10 m dish.
- **Durability:** Electrodes degrade under **micrometeorite bombardment** and thermal cycling.
- **Edge effects:** Dust accumulates at field boundaries.

**Bottom line:** **Electrodynamic shielding** is the leading method, but remains experimental. Passive mitigation (dust shields, angled surfaces) is still primary.