Originally posted by SharkBait
Over exposed Tether. Lets put this into Perspective. A 6-12inch Rope next to Jumbo 747. Then over expose the Tether and you saying it will appear the
same size as the aircraft.Without increasing the Aircraft size.
OR....
the tether is actually glowing with the plasma effect that they expected and for that reason the whole scene of STS-75 was filmed with the special UV
TOP camera, designed to study the plasma sheath around the tether...
But hey why consider that evidence? I mean you debunkers are all so gung ho on your favorite pet theories...
But just for the few that prefer real data, I will post the data from the other thread
Be surprised what you find with a simple search for "NASA tether plasma sheath"
High voltage plasma sheath analysis related to TSS-1
adsabs.harvard.edu...
TSS-1 is the STS 75 tether designation in case you didn't know
From NASA STS-75 mission repoert
The specific TSS1-R mission objectives are: characterize the current-voltage response of the TSS-orbiter system, characterize the satellites
high-voltage sheath structure and current collection process, demonstrate electric power generation, verify tether control laws and basic tether
dynamics, demonstrate the effect of neutral gas on the plasma sheath and current collection, characterize the TSS radio frequency and plasma wave
emissions and characterize the TSS dynamic-electrodynamic coupling.
science.ksc.nasa.gov...
Transient plasma sheath model for thin conductors excited bynegative high voltages with application to electrodynamic tethers
ieeexplore.ieee.org...
For one, is the nature of the interaction of a very high-voltage tether structure with the tenuous plasma present at the altitudes where the system
would operate?
A plasma sheath could develop around the tether. If that occurs, the range of the high-voltage tether would be impacted. That same sheath might
also affect how much power is necessary to pump into the tether, keeping it at high voltage, Hoyt said.
www.space.com...
TETHERED SATELLITE SYSTEM INTERACTIONS WITH THE IONOSPHERIC PLASMA
see.msfc.nasa.gov...
The tether current produces a closed, azimuthal magnetic field around the tether. As a result, the region immediately surrounding the tether is
disconnected from the open magnetic field region farther out (a magnetic separatrix exists). Therefore in order to be collected, charged particles
must intersect the boundary surface (separatrix) between the regions of closed and open magnetic fields configurations. If the plasma sheath is inside
the region of closed magnetic surfaces, the particle can be collected only due to the thermal motion, i.e. finite Larmour radius. To the extend that
charged particles are unable to move across these surfaces, collected current will be reduced. This magnetic insulation breaks down if the boundary
surface is
inside the region of strong electric field, i.e. inside the plasma sheath.
hsd.gsfc.nasa.gov...
Okay so it GLOWS
As to the TOP Camera...
Tether Optical Phenomena Experiment (TOP)
Using a hand-held camera system with image intensifiers and special filters, the TOP investigation will provide visual data that may allow
scientists to answer a variety of questions concerning tether dynamics and optical effects generated by TSS-1R. In particular, this experiment will
examine the high-voltage plasma sheath surrounding the satellite...
In one mode of operation, the current developed in the Tethered Satellite System is closed by using electron accelerators to return electrons to the
plasma surrounding the orbiter. The interaction between these electron beams and the plasma is not well understood...
Associate Investigator: Stephen Mende, Lockheed Martin
liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov...
in order to obtain 2D images in the EUV-FUV ((400÷1300) Å) of the optical phenomena occurring in the neighborhood of the TSS satellite. These
peculiar phenomena, not detectable during the first TSS mission, are primarily due to the interaction of a high-potential conductive body with the
surrounding ionospheric plasma.
This paper was submitted 14 July 1992 four years before the 2nd mission so they KNEW what to look for and it was in UV...
Astronomical observations: ultraviolet (100÷3000) Å
www.springerlink.com...
Heck even the RUSSIANS know about it...
Later vacuum-chamber experiments suggested that the unwinding of the reel uncovered pinholes in the insulation. That in itself would not have
caused a major problem, because the ionosphere around the tether, under normal circumstance, was too rarefied to divert much of the current. However,
the air trapped in the insulation changed that. As it bubbled out of the pinholes, the high voltage ("electric pressure") of the nearby tether,
about 3500 volts, converted it into a plasma (in a way similar to the ignition of a fluorescent tube), a relatively dense one and
therefore a much better conductor of electricity.
www.iki.rssi.ru...
So get over it... the tether was GLOWING from the plasma around it, hence why it looked so wide and like a fluorescent tube.
The TOP camera was a camera specifically designed to film this phenomena and caught the CRITTERS as well and the STS 75 footage we all love so much
WAS in UV
These are a FEW of the available papers... some are even more technical like the 480 page report after the fact that you can order from NASA that goes
into the sustained arcing that caused the break... but that is enough to make my point...
Do some research... know the facts before you 'shoot from the hips' Will make one appear less ignorant
Here is a pic of the damage a sustained arc does on spacecraft...
This one shows it actually occurring
There ya go tons of links to real data...
And if your nice I will tell you about the other tether that did not break that was flown by the REAL space program run by the US NAVY that flew one
month after STS75 and stayed up for two years... and they shot lasers at it from two Earth stations to test the power transmission feasibility proof
of concept
That is for anyone who cares about real data