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Lighter Than Air or Weightless Materials

Prototype Design By: Daniel Nase

Description:

We start with a non-porous lightweight sphere that is conductive on the inside and nonconductive on the outside, similar to a balloon. In the center of the balloon, we place a conductive object. The conductive object in the center and the conductive area on the inside of the balloon will have an equal amount of voltage placed on them to prevent the balloon from collapsing inward. Our goal is to balance the atmospheric pressure outside the balloon and the vacuum that we intend to place inside the balloon with the repulsive electric forces on the two surfaces. If we are successful and the balloon is big enough or of sufficient number, it should be able to lift something significant off the ground and maybe even thousands of feet up in the air.

Facts:

1. A balloon filled with a vacuum could theoretically lift more than a balloon filled with helium or hydrogen gas.

2. The electrostatic force of the inside of the balloon pushing off the item with a voltage on it in the center will counteract the force of the atmospheric pressure trying to smash the balloon.

3. Cubes and other shapes might be possible with or without a few small modifications to the amount of charge at difference distances from the center.

Formulas:



Atmospheric Pressure x Area Sphere = Force = Kc x Charge2 / Radius2



101.3kPa x (pi x diameter2) = Force = 8.988 x 109 x Charge2 / (.5m)2



101.3kPa x 3.14159 = Force = 8.988 x 109 x Charge2 / .25



318.24N = Force = 3.5952 x 1010 x Charge2

Charge2 = 318.24 / 3.5952 x 1010



Charge2 = 8.8518 x 10-9



Charge = 9.408 x 10-5 C



Note: Pressure will change at different altitudes. We can either design the sphere to withstand changes in pressure or decrease the amount of charge based on altitude.

Assumptions:

â ¢ We guess the initial diameter of the prototype balloon to be 1 meter.

â ¢ Smaller balloons may be more practical if the amount of electrical charge is too large in bigger balloons.

Applications:

â ¢ Materials for building floating aircraft, vehicles, space shuttles, and near-space stations; we might also be able to build platforms to transport things vertically into or out of near-space. Lighter vehicles mean lower fuel costs. Lower costs mean more exploration and opportunities. So far Virgin Galactic with the Virgin group of companies has been contacted to assist them with making flights into space more economical for average people who would like to become astronauts.