X37 space plane seems to work very well

[boslab]

NASAs x37 was on the news after spending a couple of years whooshing about the planet doing "unspecified" experiments, can't help being curious myself, perhaps they were testing lathes in zero Gravity, I doubt it
Mark
Sorry OT but I forgot to stick it in the title

[Dan_the_Chemist]

NASAs x37 was on the news after spending a couple of years whooshing about the planet doing "unspecified" experiments, can't help being curious myself, perhaps they were testing lathes in zero Gravity, I doubt it

Interesting problem... Spinning up a lathe will impart rotational forces to the floor mounts, thus causing the ship to rotate. This will require expenditure of mass through the Reaction Control System thrusters... Not a good thing since that mass has to be boosted from the surface.

I can imagine a lathe with a counter-rotating balance wheel. Thus one would not only have to center the part (or indicate it in), one would have to counterbalance the part with an equal mass in the counter rotating chuck... As you machine the part it's mass will change, which means the forces from the counter rotating chuck will have to change to keep it balanced. Changing the mass is feasible, but perhaps a better answer is to change it's rotational velocity to keep the angular momentum equal and opposite.

Next we have the question of the sudden change of forces when we start cutting... igg, not enough coffee yet. Somebody else take over.

[Dragons_fire]

What about zero gravity swarf?

[lakeside53]

Swarf/chips/lube control would suck.

[MattiJ]

Swarf/chips/lube control would suck.

So would leveling anything with bubble level.

[754]

Evan has a solution in the works...

[techonehundred]

But it would be so much easier changing from the 10" 3 jaw to the 4 jaw chuck.

[MattiJ]

But it would be so much easier changing from the 10" 3 jaw to the 4 jaw chuck.

And wal-mart bookself would easily hold four 12" chucks per self.

[lakeside53]

And wal-mart bookself would easily hold four 12" chucks per self.

until re-entry!

[Michael Edwards]

until re-entry!

I figured that the launch would end it.

[Mike Amick]

Interesting problem... Spinning up a lathe will impart rotational forces to the floor mounts, thus causing the ship to rotate.

I don't think this is true. And trust me I am really speaking out my butt.

If it where true, there would be no need for thrusters for fine tuning direction. They would just fired up
the flywheel in the right direction and the ship would rotate to the desired heading.

Now .. You may have been saying this tongue and cheek, then the jokes on me.

[Dragons_fire]

I don't think this is true. And trust me I am really speaking out my butt.

If it where true, there would be no need for thrusters for fine tuning direction. They would just fired up
the flywheel in the right direction and the ship would rotate to the desired heading.

Now .. You may have been saying this tongue and cheek, then the jokes on me.

Thats actually how some satellites change direction... It is fairly common on smaller devices. It would take a bigger flywheel or more time to use it on bigger ships.

[dalee100]

What about zero gravity swarf?

Hi,

Judging by all the places swarf already gets into, stuffs already zero gravity.........

Dalee

[boslab]

So you don't need so much fuel tank cap, just a flywheel on a gimbal aka gyroscope?
Mark
Where's Elon musk when I need him

[RB211]

Not bad for a balsa airplane