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1 hour ago, StrandedonEarth said:

Fuel cells might finally become cost-effective…

Funny story about fuel-cells: the NaFion polymer used as the substrate for the semi-permeable membrane in a lot of experimental fuel-cells (and the nitrogen-extracting cell I posted about a few weeks back) is the most expensive part. It's due to having to use elemental fluorine gas to make the polymer.

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2 hours ago, farmerben said:

Platinum wiffle balls from space.

Wiffle balls have the added advantage of being self-orbiting (maybe?).  You’d just have to collect them from the salt flats or wherever they were targeted.  Would they burn up? Or would they slow enough in the thinner higher altitudes to never get quite hot enough?

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1 hour ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

Glad to see you all here!  Been a weird couple of days. 

At whoever is now hosting... Thank you for keeping the lights on! 

 

On to the 'science':

I assumed the ball is to keep the nitrogen in as its not absorbed as well in water as co2. 

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1 hour ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

The part I don't get is how they transfer the nitrogen ball to the can with the nitrogen still inside.  It has to be a soluble plug of some kind. 

 

The ball could be put in the can and the can sealed within a pressurized area?  Idk.  A soluble plug seems viable.  

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