Puricare Industrial Enterprises: July 2020

Friday, July 31, 2020

IS SPACE REALLY A ZERO-GRAVITY ENVIRONMENT? The term “zero-gravity” proves misleading when it comes to freefalling through space. The perceived weightlessness of astronauts is a misnomer. So is the concept of space as a zero-gravity environment. Space contains what’s known as microgravity. Microgravity refers to the condition of objects or people appearing to be weightless. We see the effects of this phenomenon in videos from the space station, showing individuals and the objects around them suspended in midair. This condition occurs not only within spacecraft and space stations but also outside during spacewalks where astronauts must stay tethered to avoid floating away. Because they hover above the ground, astronauts only need to wear soft boots. When involved in extra-vehicular activities, they secure their shoes with foot restraints to avoid drifting away. But just because these individuals and the objects around them are floating doesn’t mean they exist in a zero-gravity environment. Everywhere in space, a small amount of gravity exists. Gravity keeps the sun in place within the more massive Milky Way, and it’s why the Earth orbits the sun. It also holds the Moon in place as it revolves around the Earth. Gravity weakens due to distance. If you could take a spacecraft far enough from Earth, you’d eventually reach a range where the planet’s gravitational pull diminishes.

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Is Space Really A Zero-Gravity Environment?

THE TERM “ZERO-GRAVITY” PROVES MISLEADING WHEN IT COMES TO FREEFALLING THROUGH SPACE

Engrid Barnett

RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

From Apollo 12 (1995) to Contact (1997) and the aptly titled Gravity (2013), we’ve all gotten used to the visual of astronauts floating around in zero-gravity environments.

You could say that the idea of space having no gravity is common knowledge, at this point.

Many people wouldn’t think twice about why astronauts appear weightless.

The perceived weightlessness of astronauts is a misnomer, though. So is the concept of space as a zero-gravity environment.

Space contains what’s known as microgravity.

Here’s what it is and how it relates to the images we’re all so familiar with of buoyant astronauts.

SPACE AND MICROGRAVITY

Let’s start with the number one question on everyone’s mind, “What the heck is microgravity?”

Microgravity refers to the condition of objects or people appearing to be weightless.

For example, we see the effects of this phenomenon in videos from the space station, showing individuals and the objects around them suspended in midair.

This condition occurs not only within spacecraft and space stations but also outside during spacewalks where astronauts must stay tethered to avoid floating away.

Six astronauts who had been in training at the Johnson Space Center for
almost a year are getting a sample of a micro-gravity environment

Because they hover above the ground, astronauts only need to wear soft boots.

When involved in extra-vehicular activities (EVAs), they secure their shoes with foot restraints to avoid drifting away.

But just because these individuals and the objects around them are floating doesn’t mean they exist in a zero-gravity environment.

Everywhere in space, a small amount of gravity exists.

Gravity keeps the sun in place within the more massive Milky Way, and it’s why the Earth orbits the sun. It also holds the Moon in place as it revolves around the Earth.

That said, gravity does weaken due to distance.

For example, if you could take a spacecraft far enough from Earth, you’d eventually reach a range where the planet’s gravitational pull diminishes.

Nonetheless, this is not why people and things float in space.

WHY OBJECTS FLOAT IN SPACE

Orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 200 to 250 miles, the International Space Station experiences about 90 percent of the gravity felt on the planet’s surface.

In other words, if you could climb stairs from the Earth to the space station, you’d weigh approximately 90 percent of what you do once you hit the top of the staircase.

This illustration begs the question, “If 90 percent of the Earth’s gravitational pull reaches the space station, then why do the astronauts live and work midair?”

The answer is an eye-opener.

These individuals appear to be floating because they’re falling through space.

If you’ve ever experienced an amusement park ride where you enter a cabin that gets dropped from a tall tower, then you know this feeling well.

The same goes for the sensation you get when a roller coaster encounters a sudden drop on the tracks.

Of course, for us terrestrial-bound beings, this sense of weightlessness proves very temporary.

FREEFALLING THROUGH SPACE

Why do humans and objects fall at the same rate in space, creating the appearance of weightlessness?

That’s because they’re falling through a vacuum.

In a vacuum, all objects plunge at the same rate. Gravity, not mass, dictates this rate.

Things operate differently on the Earth, however.

If you’ve ever dropped a feather and a metal ball from a tower at the same height, you already understand this.

The ball will crash into the ground much faster than the feather. What gives?

On Earth, air resistance alters the rate of descent for various objects. Removing this resistance, however, permits the feather to fall at the same rate as the ball.

Let’s take the amusement park ride that we mentioned earlier.

Imagine riding it again, only this time you have a quarter in your hand. If, during the descent, you let go of the quarter what do you think will happen?

It‘ll fall at the same rate as your body, giving the impression that it’s floating directly in front of you.

The same thing happens to all objects in space.

FALLING TOWARD AND AROUND THE EARTH

Think of the space station, its crew, and any objects within as freefalling towards the Earth.

They all descend at the same rate, and that’s why they appear to float.

The gravitational pull of the Earth is not the sole force acting on these objects and individuals, however.

The space station is traveling at upwards of 17,500 miles per hour, moving at a speed that matches the curve of the Earth’s surface.

As a result, the space station is both moving towards the Earth and around it.

This movement towards and around the Earth keeps the space station from plummeting into the planet.

This principle also explains why the Moon orbits the Earth instead of colliding with it. In other words, the Moon is also falling around the Earth.

WHY MICROGRAVITY MATTERS

Organizations such as NASA study microgravity.

Why? To gain a better understanding of what happens to equipment and individuals in space.

What do we know about the effects of microgravity on the human body so far?

For one, long-term exposure leads to weakened bones and muscle atrophy because microgravity offers so little resistance.

Understanding the negative physiological impacts of this environment will prove critical to future space exploration. After all, astronauts must stay healthy and robust despite extended journeys, say to Mars.

Besides human beings, microgravity also has some interesting impacts on other natural phenomena.

For example, crystals grow better in space, and flames take on a round shape because of the decreased pull of gravity.

Conducting such experiments in space will help scientists to continue honing their understanding of microgravity environments and their impacts on physical objects.

By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com

RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

The official purveyors of all things unbelievable, bizarre, and mind-blowing from around the world. Explore the Odd!

https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/zero-gravity-or-micro-gravity/

SOLAR PANELS ON CARS - Much like solar-powered homes, solar cars harness energy from the sun, and then convert it into electricity. That electricity then fuels the car's powertrain, which is similar to the combination of an electric motor and battery-based energy storage that drives modern hybrid cars. Solar cars can accomplish this through photovoltaic cells. PVCs are the components in solar paneling that convert the sun's energy to electricity. They're made up of semiconductors, usually made of silicon that absorb the light. The sunlight's energy then frees electrons in the semiconductors, creating a flow of electrons. That flow generates the electricity that powers the battery or the specialized motor in solar cars. The earliest solar cars were DIY jobs that date back to the 1970s and were mostly designed and assembled in car enthusiasts' garages. Several other organizations experimented with race cars designed to take advantage of solar power. These helped engineers understand the potential of collecting and storing solar energy, maximizing aerodynamics and identifying other challenges to running a car powered off the sun. As for major auto manufacturers' contributions to the field, Ford and Mazda, notably, both introduced solar hybrid concept cars in the mid-2000s, and Cadillac designed a concept car that used solar panels to help power accessories like interior lighting and audio that typically draw off a car's electrical system.

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The roof and hood of the Lightyear One are comprised of integrated
solar cells so the car can charge itself whenever it absorbs sunlight.

Solar Panels Are Slowly Making Their Way on Cars

BY CRISTEN CONGER & CHERISE THREEWITT

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but what about a free ride?

Think of how awesome it would be if your car could keep running without you spending a dime on fuel.

If you drove a solar-powered car that dream could be a lot closer to a reality.

Much like solar-powered homes, solar cars harness energy from the sun, and then convert it into electricity.

That electricity then fuels the car's powertrain, which is similar to the combination of an electric motor and battery-based energy storage that drives modern hybrid cars.

Solar cars can accomplish this through photovoltaic cells (PVC).

PVCs are the components in solar paneling that convert the sun's energy to electricity. They're made up of semiconductors, usually made of silicon that absorb the light.

The sunlight's energy then frees electrons in the semiconductors, creating a flow of electrons. That flow generates the electricity that powers the battery or the specialized motor in solar cars.

The earliest solar cars were DIY jobs that date back to the 1970s and were mostly designed and assembled in car enthusiasts' garages.

Several other organizations experimented with race cars designed to take advantage of solar power.

These helped engineers understand the potential — and the limitations — of collecting and storing solar energy, maximizing aerodynamics and identifying other challenges to running a car powered off the sun.

As for major auto manufacturers' contributions to the field, Ford and Mazda, notably, both introduced solar hybrid concept cars in the mid-2000s, and Cadillac designed a concept car that used solar panels to help power accessories like interior lighting and audio that typically draw off a car's electrical system (which, in turn, contributes to fuel consumption).

None of these concept cars made it to production, which means they were never available to consumers.

After that, investment in solar car technology more or less went dark, at least as a mainstream pursuit.

On the upside, though, many automakers have shifted development resources toward making hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars more practical, efficient and affordable than ever.

This, in turn, means it might be time to give solar cars another shot, though the new-generation solar cars on the horizon are more like hybrids that add solar power to the mix.

Are Solar-powered Cars Practical?

The 2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid features a Solar Roof System that recharges
the car's hybrid battery and increases the car's driving range by a couple of miles a day.

The renewed interest in solar panels on cars is less about the panels themselves becoming better, and more about the fact that hybrid and electric cars, and their infrastructure, is better.

In other words, it's easier and more affordable than ever for consumers to go buy a readily available electric or hybrid car, and these cars are more efficient, easier to charge, and have fewer compromises overall than EVs and hybrids of just a couple generations ago.

That means there are more people who can take advantage of solar power to run a car, and that solar power will literally go farther than it would have in the past.

That said, solar panel technology has improved, too.

It's more affordable and easier for most consumers to incorporate into a home or garage update. But solar-powered cars still have a long way to go.

In fact, it's unlikely that we'll see a car that can be fully powered by a solar panel integrated into the roof, because a panel that size is just too small to produce the power needed.

EnergySage, a company that helps consumers research and shop for solar technology, estimates that a car completely covered in solar panels (not just the roof) could only power an electric car for a maximum of 25 miles (40 kilometers) a day, and that's assuming weather and other conditions are absolutely perfect.

Yet, EnergySage argues a solar panel that gives a car a boost of just a few miles a day is still worth the investment.

So which automakers are investing in the technology?

There are several. High-tech company Lightyear released two Lightyear Research Vehicles to test its integrated solar technology on the road in June 2020.

The company says it is preparing to produce an exclusive series of cars equipped with its solar technology by the end of 2021.

Germany's Sono Motors has spent three years developing a manufacturing process that will enable the seamless integration of solar cells into the body of its Sion electric car.

On June 30, 2020, the company announced it had partnered with Roding Automobile GmbH to begin production of its next generation of Sion prototypes.

Toyota is testing a version of the Prius with an integrated solar roof in Japan.

This demo version, which is not for sale, can charge the car while it is being driven; its earlier version could only charge while parked.

The 2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, however, is available to American consumers and comes with a solar roof panel that recharges the car's batteries.

The roof panel generates enough electric power to increase the car's driving range by about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) a day.

The Tesla Cybertruck, which was unveiled in November 2019 but isn't expected to be released until late 2021, has an option for solar panels, even though Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously said that solar panels on cars are too inefficient.

And that brings us to the question of whether or not the extra cost of adding solar panels to a car is worth it.

For example, cars in sunnier locations and cars that are parked outside rather than in a garage, will generate more solar power and offer more of a financial benefit to owners.

But the question still remains to be seen whether the financial costs to automakers will be beneficial enough to produce them.

DIY solar panel kits that are designed to contribute to powering the battery of an electric or plug-in hybrid car via the home's charging system are available.

Similar aftermarket kits are offered and marketed as ways to help power RVs or trailers.

They can also be used to collect and store energy for camping accessories such as tents or cooking setups, like those designed to mount in the bed of a pickup truck.

Tesla's Cybertruck has optional solar panels, which can be used to
power things like its camping equipment.

Solar kits for these purposes are mainstream enough that they're available at online and big box retailers.

As for now, though, adding solar panels directly to your car isn't very common. Though they may someday become more plausible for more consumers.

SOLAR CAR COMPETITIONS

Solar car racing has been going on since the 1980s, long before today's consumer-focused efforts at getting solar cars on the road.

The 1,872-mile (3,012-kilometer) World Solar Challenge began in 1983 and races across Australia every two years.

The American Solar Challenge started in 1990 and follows a route across North America that changes almost every year.

About Cristen Conger

Raised on a steady diet of Technicolor musicals and library books, Cristen Conger always wanted to be a writer when she grew up. While working toward her journalism degree at the University of Georgia, she learned to avoid starry-eyed statements about childhood dreams and stick to hard facts. After graduating, Cristen decided she'd spent enough time chasing down REM band members in Athens and hitched up the road to Atlanta where she jumped on board with the award-winning web site HowStuffWorks.com.

As a writer and blogger for HowStuffWorks and a contributing writer for Discovery News, Cristen specializes in technology and the science of everyday living. Her articles have featured on Huffington Post, ABC Science and MSNBC.com. She also co-hosts the popular Stuff Mom Never Told You podcast, which explores gender issues such as relationships, careers and women's history. A graduate of University of Georgia, where she majored in journalism, Cristen reads, writes, runs and dabbles in improv comedy.

Cherise Threewitt

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

@crazyreesie?lang=en

Cherise Threewitt is a Chicago-based writer and editor with 15 years of experience covering the automotive industry. At HowStuffWorks, Cherise enjoys researching and writing stories that make cars and car culture interesting and accessible for everyone. When Cherise isn't writing, she's probably at the gym, paddling on Lake Michigan, or driving her 2019 Subaru WRX.

https://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/vehicles/solar-cars.htm?utm_medium=push&utm_source=pushly&utm_campaign=618682

WHY WATER APPEARS WHITE WHILE GOING OVER A WATERFALL - Water has dissolved oxygen inside of it. It is this dissolved oxygen that helps sustain the lives of aquatic creatures. Normally, you don’t actually see any evidence of oxygen being dissolved in water (apart from the fact that, you know, fish live there). Humans will never understand and appreciate the true value of dissolved oxygen in water bodies (ponds, lakes, rivers etc.) as much as fish do. Thus, in a still water body, you don’t see the dissolved oxygen, but when water falls over a cliff – like in a waterfall – the dissolved oxygen presents itself, or rather, makes its presence felt. When water is standing still, or moving at a very relaxed, gentle pace, oxygen dissolves in it through diffusion from the surrounding air. However, when water flows rapidly, its flow becomes turbulent. As a result, it offers more surface area for oxygen to diffuse compared to a flat, slow-moving river. In addition to that, churning waters create turbulence, which causes air to hit the water at a high pressure, allowing more oxygen to dissolve. This sort of aeration creates tons of small bubbles in water, which are eventually responsible for the white color of waterfalls. If you consider a body of water that’s sitting stationary, then you have one surface from which light can reflect (or refract). Just like a mirror, due to the even surface of a plain mirror, light rays that fall on it are reflected at a constant angle.

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Why Does Water Appear White While Going Over A Waterfall?

By Ashish

If water is really stirred up, or moving at a high pace (a pace that you can expect from waterfalls), then the trapped air in the water creates bubbles.

It is these bubbles (tiny air pockets) that make a waterfall look white.

Water is colorless; we all know that, right?

Still, the color of snow – which is essentially frozen water – is white.

Similarly, water that goes over a waterfall also appears to be white, despite actually being colorless.

Why is that water white?

What’s going on here?

The answer of this lies in how light interacts with matter, along with aeration.

Water and dissolved oxygen

You might already know that water has dissolved oxygen inside of it.

It is this dissolved oxygen that helps sustain the lives of aquatic creatures.

Normally, you don’t actually see any evidence of oxygen being dissolved in water (apart from the fact that, you know, fish live there).

, Why Does Water Appear White While Going Over A Waterfall?, Science ABC, Science ABC

Humans will never understand and appreciate the true value of dissolved oxygen in water bodies (ponds, lakes, rivers etc.) as much as fish do.

Thus, in a still water body, you don’t see the dissolved oxygen, but when water falls over a cliff – like in a waterfall – the dissolved oxygen presents itself, or rather, makes its presence felt.

Aeration

When water is standing still, or moving at a very relaxed, gentle pace, oxygen dissolves in it through diffusion from the surrounding air.

However, when water flows rapidly, its flow becomes turbulent.

As a result, it offers more surface area for oxygen to diffuse compared to a flat, slow-moving river.

In addition to that, churning waters create turbulence, which causes air to hit the water at a high pressure, allowing more oxygen to dissolve.

This sort of aeration creates tons of small bubbles in water, which are eventually responsible for the white color of waterfalls.

How light reflects off water in a waterfall

If you consider a body of water that’s sitting stationary, then you essentially have one surface from which light can reflect (or even refract).

Just like a mirror, due to the even surface of a plain mirror, light rays that fall on it are reflected at a constant angle.

However, if you roughen up the mirror surface (by denting, scratching or even breaking it), then light rays would still be reflected off it, but in random directions. That’s why crushed glass also looks whitish.

Similarly, in a water body where the water does not show much movement, light reflects at a constant angle.

However, when there’s movement in the water, the reflections you see are no longer as clear.

Tiny air pockets make a waterfall look whitish.

Moreover, if the water is really stirred up, or moving at a high pace (a pace that you can expect from waterfalls), then the trapped air in the water creates bubbles. It is these bubbles (tiny air pockets) that make a waterfall look white.

These bubbles have their individual surfaces, all of which reflect some part of the light falling on them.

This is why you can see reflections of objects on bubbles if you look really closely.

As you can imagine, there are a great deal of bubbles in a waterfall, and all of them are of varying sizes.

This is why light gets reflected in so many random directions, and what you eventually see is an evenly white color of the waterfall.

This is the same mechanism that makes clouds look white.

It’s just a lot of water droplets suspended in the air, all of which scatter light, resulting in the whitish hue of the cloud.

Ashish is a Science graduate (Bachelor of Science) from Punjabi University (India). He spends a lot of time watching movies, and an awful lot more time discussing them. He likes Harry Potter and the Avengers, and obsesses over how thoroughly Science dictates every aspect of life… in this universe, at least.

https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/why-does-water-appear-white-while-going-over-a-waterfall.html

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Fountains of Endless Life