Gas from people powers moon trip

Here is an idea - all the gas that people expel, from both ends, could power
trips to outer space!

And harness those pesky cows' methane - into a new universe!

Good idea but it doesnt work see.
www.youtube.com...

reply to post by 12voltz


It would work if scientists were around.

And didn't mind getting it on their hands.

And if it was all the blah blah blah gas coming out of people's mouths.

Nuclear power would be the way to go, eventually you will run out of fuel, Nobody wants to be stranded on the moon.

reply to post by Mythic Chris


I see the logic though...you have to take food (fuel) with you anyway. May as well convert the food into fuel by way of waste digesters, and use the hydrocarbons as fuel. They only dump it anyway, why not use it as an energy source twice? Once when we eat it for fuel, and once again as a hydrocarbon fuel source?

To be honest, getting away from the rocket to the moon idea for a bit, i've no idea why human waste isn't routinely used as a fuel THREE times over, as a matter of reducing our carbon footprint anyway?

Humans eat the food, gain energy. Bacteria digest the waste, we gain energy from the by product hydrocarbons, when the waste is fully digested, we use the nutrient rich remains as a high quality, organic crop fertilizer.

It's a win, win, win situation.

There's 300 million people in the US that expel waste on average once a day.
If that waste were fed into huge industrial digesters, instead of sewage treatment plants, a very significant percentage of the US energy requirements would be offset.

Plus we get valuable fertilizers to renew the cycle again.

Instead we only take the energy once, and throw the rest away.

Originally posted by spikey
reply to post by Mythic Chris

 

I see the logic though...you have to take food (fuel) with you anyway. May as well convert the food into fuel by way of waste digesters, and use the hydrocarbons as fuel. They only dump it anyway, why not use it as an energy source twice? Once when we eat it for fuel, and once again as a hydrocarbon fuel source?

To be honest, getting away from the rocket to the moon idea for a bit, i've no idea why human waste isn't routinely used as a fuel THREE times over, as a matter of reducing our carbon footprint anyway?

Humans eat the food, gain energy. Bacteria digest the waste, we gain energy from the by product hydrocarbons, when the waste is fully digested, we use the nutrient rich remains as a high quality, organic crop fertilizer.

It's a win, win, win situation.

There's 300 million people in the US that expel waste on average once a day.
If that waste were fed into huge industrial digesters, instead of sewage treatment plants, a very significant percentage of the US energy requirements would be offset.

Plus we get valuable fertilizers to renew the cycle again.

Instead we only take the energy once, and throw the rest away.

10 people's waste will not power a space craft, 100 people probably won't even power a space craft.

We need massive amounts of energy that our poop just doesn't have.

reply to post by Mythic Chris


No, it probably wouldn't power the whole craft.

But if it contributed or replaced just 10% of the carried mass of fuel, that would amount to very significant weight and cost savings and allow a greater payload that would otherwise have been possible.

On the ground, in Earthly energy generation, this system would not totally replace current fuels but could contribute significantly to reducing the amount used. Plus it has the advantage of cost savings on effluent treatment, and pollution.

It's a viable, economical and ecological advantageous method of producing fuel.

Again, if just 10% reduction in the requirement for existing fuels were met by this system, it would save the taxpayers billions each year to be spent on other more worthy projects.

Originally posted by Mythic Chris
Nuclear power would be the way to go, eventually you will run out of fuel, Nobody wants to be stranded on the moon.

plug the worlds politicians to the booster, oh and the power mongers.

with all the gas and greed for power they exude, i wouldnt be surprised if they made it to the edge of this universe.

This thread could have not been stupid, but it was.

reply to post by catwhoknows


I guess fifteen cows could pull their weight, they are methane makers to the umph degree, and their feed is lightweight too.

Put some monkeys in there (lightweight also) to do the gardening, feeding and other basic tasks. Then two astronauts for redundancy, to work the controls and maintenance for the ship.

But in reality, laser propulsion wouldn't drive the astronauts crazy with all that unnecessary Moooooooing

Kirk: Scotty, we need warp 7

Scotty: I'ma eatin these beans as fast as I can

Kirk: Bones, can you get more gas outta Scotty?

McCoy: Jim, a human can only make so much gas

EXPLOSION

McCoy: He's dead Jim and boy does it stink in here

Pooclear power?

2nd line, the best kind.

Or the raw liquid form - Assoline.

[edit on 6-8-2010 by CavemanDD]

It seems Spencers was onto something when I was a kid. They had a fart jar gag gift. I guess based on the OPs idea, you could buy a jar, fart in it and put it out by the curb with the trash to be picked up and recycled. It goes to a factory and get's put into large containers.