Week 19: Beating the Plateau Just a Little
In our deep dive we tackle the tyranny of the rocket equation.
Monday
VR Adventure:
Monday we got into a rock climbing game a bit more. I’m jumping off of trams in the Swiss Alps like a pro! We also spent some time playing Pistol Whip for fitness.
It’s not the most family friendly game, but no action movie is I guess.
Food: 23
Weight: 189.5
Today’s Awesome:
This week, we talk about rockets! And propulsion in general. What are the best ways to get to the stars? After that space elevator we talked about a while back, of course.
First off, an introduction to the tyranny of the rocket equation, and why it’s so hard to get anywhere. The main thing is, if you want bigger things, more mass, in space, you need more fuel. But if you add more fuel, you’ve added more mass, so now you need even more fuel!
For Your Consideration:
Tuesday
VR Adventure:
Nothing today.
Food: 26
Weight: 189.4
Today’s Awesome:
So what options do we have beyond chemical rockets? Quite a few: we’ve got fission nuclear rockets (yes yes, that does sound terrifying), ion engines for when you’re in space, and solar sails! Here is a fun overview.
For Your Consideration:
Wednesday
VR Adventure:
A hardcore set of Supernatural workouts!
Food:189.4
Weight: 38
Today’s Awesome:
Speaking of those fission rockets, should clarify that they wouldn't be used for launch, but up in space, according to this U.S. Office of Nuclear Energy overview.
For Your Consideration:
Thursday
VR Adventure:
Nothing today.
Food: 34
Weight: 190
Today’s Awesome:
A current attempt to get more efficient is with a rotation detonation engine. It’s theorized that it could be 5-25 percent more efficient, which is amazing when rocket engineers do their best to get things a fraction of a percent more efficient.
For Your Consideration:
Friday
VR Adventure:
More Supernatural workouts!
Food: CHEAT DAY!
Weight: 187.8
New low!
Today’s Awesome:
If we make rockets cheaper, we’ll be worried about all the waste from those launches. a recent chemical discovery might make rockets a lot more friendly and pack more power.
For Your Consideration:
Saturday
VR Adventure:
Nothing today. This evening we had a baby sitter and went to see our local Austin soccer team win 5-0!
Food: FAIL DAY
Weight: 189.4
Today’s Awesome:
We can’t go without mentioning SpaceX. The big reason we want more efficient rockets is better access to space. And that company has helped prices drop 75% in two year, with a recent launch possibly having save hundreds of millions.
For Your Consideration:
Sunday
VR Adventure:
Nothing today.
Food: 38
Weight: 191.2
Really feeling the effect of yesterday’s fail day.
Today’s Awesome:
So, how cheap could space travel get? The aim of the new SpaceX Starship rocket is a mere $2 million per launch. And it could carry 1,000 people. You’re looking at a $2,000 for an orbital trip to space. Folks have paid $20 million for that. Not bad.
For Your Consideration:
I get chills every time I read it:
"The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride."
Outro:
We got to 189.5. Finally broke down below the plateau just a little. Hopefully that means we have good things to come.