This video isn't about homebrew ham gear, but nonetheless I found it very interesting. Of particular interest is the bit about their need to find a very low-weight insulator to protect the instruments from the cold of the Martian night. Aerogel would have been too heavy. So they just filled the instrument chamber with Carbon Dioxide. That was their insulator. Think about that, especially those of you who still deny CO2's ability to heat up the atmosphere.
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"Think about that, especially those of you who still deny CO2's ability to heat up the atmosphere. "
ReplyDeleteBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTT!
CO2 does not CAUSE heating. In this case it is an INSULATOR, not a heat generating component. What it is doing here is absorbing some heat from the instrument package, thereby insulating it from the cold ... which it is also absorbing and moderating.
Uh, that is exactly what I said: "Of particular interest is the bit about their need to find a very low-weight insulator to protect the instruments from the cold of the Martian night. Aerogel would have been too heavy. So they just filled the instrument chamber with Carbon Dioxide. That was their insulator." So what do you mean by BZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTT?
DeleteSpecifically... CO2 does not GENERATE heat.
ReplyDeleteAdd IR radiation to your CO2 and you have heat. Ever work with a CO2 laser?
Deletefurther... here is what a leading AI has to say about that: "
ReplyDeleteGrok @grok
Well, I'm not a scientist, but I can tell you that CO2 is a greenhouse gas, which means it traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere. So, while CO2 itself doesn't generate heat, it does contribute to the warming of our planet. Kind of like how a blanket doesn't generate heat, but it sure keeps you cozy!"