WPenner's Blog

Energy in space is more crucial than on earth. On earth, our atmosphere circulates the energy from solar radiation, for example, and heats extensive areas to liveable (or mostly liveable) temperatures. Outside of the atmosphere, there is only the vacuum of space, which technically doesn't have a temperature.

When you're sitting in the Saudi Arabian desert on a summer's day with the mercury at 50ºc, there are plenty of molecules around that help moderate the heat you feel. The wind pushes air past your skin and makes you feel cooler. A similar effect happens at the poles which register some of the coldest temperatures on earth.

When the sun's radiation strikes an object like the ISS, however, the sun side warms up to about 120ºC with way to wick away the heat. On the other side of the object, the temperature can be below -160ºC.¹ That's a 280ºC difference from one side to another.

Internally, of course, a spaceship must maintain a temperature workable for humans and electronics. Creating internal operating conditions requires energy. For example, the ISS uses almost two thirds of the energy from its solar panels to charge its batteries for the 45 minutes it spends out of the sun's line-of-sight.

When the @Space_Station is in sunlight, about 60% of the electricity that the solar arrays generate is used to charge the Station's batteries. The batteries power the Station when it is not in the Sun. ☀️

Video: ESA, NASA pic.twitter.com/qhqOTAxhql

— Canadian Space Agency (@csa_asc) September 23, 2022

Getting Around Deep Space

Staying comfy is not the only use for energy in space. Getting around in space is also energy intensive. Ion engines can use the limited power from a solar sail, but plasma drives will require power sources with greater energy density.

Science fiction engines from a universe like Star Trek require sources of power that are beyond our current command of physics. The need for energy density explains why UK's Pulsar Fusion is working on a nuclear fusion drive that can create plasma propulsion. This technology pushes the boundaries of our physics control.

Getting off Planet

The Stoics probably did not mean this literally…

There is no easy way from the earth to the stars.

— Stoic Bot | Learn more about Stoicism 📜 (@Stoicism_Bot) September 23, 2022

Still, getting out of Earth's gravity well requires massive amounts of energy delivered in an extremely short period, which is why we still use chemical rockets for launch. Even nuclear's massive energy output is better suited to off-planet use.

You're Gonna Have to Do Better than That!

Current "green" efforts at energy creation, storage, and usage are far less physically green than philosophically green. Their use of harmful chemicals combined with unpredictable, inefficient energy creation consistently generate storage nightmares and rolling blackouts in some of the richest parts of the world. If, as a civilization, we aim to move up the Kardashev scale, where we are still at least 4 orders of magnitude (i.e. 100,000 - 10,000 times) from reaching the first rung, we must do better.

We seriously underperform our own grasp of physics because of a fear of ourselves. We fear nuclear power will turn into nuclear war, for example. Rather than huddling into what some consider "safe", we need to face our demons, doing collective shadow work. With great courage, we can overcome our worst impulses to free ourselves to use energy sources that will unleash our most creative impulses to achieve the highest aspirations our civilization can imagine, on earth and beyond.²