Abstract The space shuttle is the world's first reusable spacecraft. With today's technology, shuttles are capable of withstanding the vacuums of space, the difficulty of re-entry and cosmic and solar radiation. The paper shows that while some scientists believe the space industry will never become commercialized due to the shuttle's outdated complexities, shuttles of today may commercialize the space industry with an old rocket technology that has not been fully realized. Solidrocket engines, an old, yet reliable, space technology, are safe, low cost, provide a high thrust and may be the key to space industry commercialization.
From the Paper "Solid fuel rocket engines are an old technology. While they have changed since their inventions of early China, their simple and non-complicated design remains in tact. It is due to that design that the engines and rockets have remained stable throughout centuries. They are safe, encompassing easy to handle materials, and allowing for long-term storage. They are reliable, consisting of non-machine related parts to limit the possibilities of mechanical failure. They are cost effective, due to their reusability as well as their materials, made from low cost resources."
Abstract The following paper examines the history of solid propulsion and black powder and discusses how it was used. It also looks at the advantages and disadvantages of solid propulsion in relation to its liquid counterparts.
From the Paper "The first solid propulsion engines were invented by the Chinese early in the 13th century in use of fireworks. These homemade rockets were propelled by black powder. The first recorded military use was in 1232 in a military siege where the powder propelled rockets were used to set fire to tents. It wasn?t until years later around the early 15th century when they started becoming used in Europe and equipped with a payload. Gunpowder started being used as it burned slower than black powder. The two have same the same ingredients but in different proportions. A large step forward was when the solid propulsion rockets were used to carry rope from distressed ships to shore in stormy conditions. The sailors would use the rope as a lifeline in their rowboats. However this relied on the fact that the shore could only be as far away as the longest rope."
Abstract This paper devotes time to explaining what fossil fuels are, their history and their uses. Specifically, the paper brings to light two major problems with the continued use of fossil fuels; the peak oil theory that contends that oil depletion has begun and the fact that the burning of fossil fuels cause greenhouse gasses associated with global warming. The paper also looks at fossil fuel alternatives and conservation programs worldwide and in the United States and emphasizes the importance of fossil fuel reduction for our future.
Outline:
Introduction
The Science Behind Fossil Fuels: What Are They
The Science Behind Fossil Fuels: Their History
Fossil Fuels' Uses
Controversy and Concern: Peak Oil and Greenhouse Gasses
Fossil Fuel Alternatives and Conservation Programs: Worldwide
Fossil Fuel Alternative and Conservation Programs: The United States
Conclusion
From the Paper "As fuel prices continue to rise across the world and effects of global warming are already being observed in some degree, the public's need to know about fossil fuels is greater than ever. Most understand that the fuels are non-renewable resources produced during the years of the dinosaurs, but most do not understand the exact debt of their usage and the profound importance of their discontinuation. Fossil fuels were created in a manner so unique that it would be nearly impossible to recreate today. Because they have been around for millions of years, however, people have been using fossil fuels for quite some time, in spite of the fact they are a non-renewable resource. While the use of fossil fuels have a long history, two major problems with the continued use of the fuels exist."
Abstract The paper talks about the Kyoto Protocol that provided an international directive in environmental emissions, demanding that countries shoulder the responsibility for emissions regulations and standards. The paper then discusses hydrogen fuel cell research and the effectiveness of integrating these technologies in domestic and public modes of transportation. The paper argues that hydrogen fuel cell development should become the primary focus for any company that wants to adhere to environmental standards and reduce long-term costs of using fossil fuels.
Outline:
The Kyoto Protocol
The Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Green Companies: Ford and Mercedes
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Limitations
From the Paper "The 21st century global marketplace has been witness to the advent of numerous technological advances in an effort to create efficiency and reduce the cost of utilizing expensive energy resources. Environmental policy has also played an important role in the legitimacy of large corporations primarily due to the alarming increase in global warming. As the world becomes closer to its neighbors through free-market trade, the relevance of environmental accountability becomes even more paramount. With oil prices rapidly increasing and technological advances in the synthesis of energy resources, the transportation industry is becoming more responsible for the environmental impact due to business operations. Countries and companies worldwide are becoming more active in regulating fuel economy. The rise of hydrogen fuel cell integration in domestic vehicles, locomotives and public transportation services has increased due to environmental regulations and finding cost efficient resources for power."
Abstract The paper shows that fuel cells offer tremendous promise and potential as an energy source. Among topics covered in this paper include: How fuel cells operate, why they are cleaner than a combustion powered engine and the research that is currently being conducted to advance this technology. The paper also lays out the roles the federal government, automakers, and oil companies are playing in investing in fuel technology. It also discusses the problems that need to be overcome in order for the use of fuel cells to meet their full potential as an energy source.
From the Paper "In summary once the fuel cell market begins to take off, the impact can snowball. Using hydrogen to combine such renewable energy sources with highly efficient fuel cell cars would impact many industries such as the automobile, oil, electricity and natural gas. Furthermore, an added benefit of fuel cell will be the elimination of carbon dioxide that are produced by gas powered engines, instead the only by product produced here would be water. In fact this water will be safe enough to drink because it will be pure. Research will continue to advance the potential of fuel cell as a dependable long term energy source."
Abstract This paper explores the possibility of using ethanol as a fuel made from renewable crops. In particular, the paper looks at cellulosic ethanol, which can be produced from agricultural, municipal and forestry waste, corn stalks, sawdust, and waste paper. The author provides a short write up on the chemical qualities and characteristics of ethanol and mentions other countries such as Brazil that have been using ethanol as fuel. The paper advocates the environmental advantages of using ethanol as a renewable alternative fuel and suggests that there should be more support for research on ethanol to be used as fuel on a wide scale.
From the Paper "Rumplestiltskin, a well-known fairy tale, tells about a poor miller's daughter who must spin straw into gold or die. Magic only can help her. Today, with rapidly rising gasoline prices, many Americans hope alternative fuels will soon be developed--and are hoping for some similar kind of magic. Bio-fuels could offer the solution to the problem, particularly ethanol. The challenge is to find cost-effective ways to make ethanol out of such renewable resources as corn, soybeans, sugarcane, the stems and leaves of plants, forest cuttings, wood chips, and all the non-food parts of crops that currently are burned or buried."
Abstract The paper explains that since airlines are heavily dependent upon fuel for its continuing operations, they have been heavily burdened by rising fuel prices. The paper then looks at airlines' cost-cutting measures such as laying of thousands of workers and delaying or eliminating long-distance flights and relates that the general aviation industry has also suffered. Next, the paper overviews the solutions that revolve around alternative lead-free fuel. The paper concludes that while the market is extremely unstable at the moment, it is nonetheless possible that the crisis can be averted when officials work together to find viable solutions.
From the Paper "The rising costs of fuel has become the main conversation point of motorists throughout the world. For perhaps the first time in world history, the food and fuel crises have become worldwide phenomena, with only an investment in alternative fuel sources appearing to be a valid long-term response. The aviation industry is no exception, and indeed appears to be one of the hardest hit industries in terms of fuel. Both commercial and private airlines need a large amount of fuel in order to complete their long- and short-distance flights. The rising fuel costs have resulted in a number of strategies to mitigate the extra investment required. Some commercial airlines have even reduced their long-distance flights in order to save fuel, while others have increased their ticket costs. The reality is that fuel prices are likely to continue their upward trend as the world's oil resources are increasingly pressured."
Abstract This paper concerns the alternative fuel hydrogen. The writer notes how this fuel is produced and looks at some of the problems of making it practical for use in automobiles and other vehicles. The writer explains that storage is a major issue, because hydrogen takes up four items the space of a comparable fast energy source. Some of the research being conducted to correct this situation is noted, including new materials for storage.
From the Paper "There are many reasons to embrace the demand for alternative fuels. The current state of the world's ongoing energy crisis, of the demand for fossil fuel and of the constant fighting over oil in the middle east, are all current events that are related to oil and fuel. However, we should also look to the future for the true reasons for using alternative fuels. The emissions from power plants, refineries and automobiles are causing global warming and irreversible damage to the ozone. This is why it is so important for scientists, engineers and researchers to break down the fossil fuel barrier and replace it with alternative fuels, one of which is hydrogen."
Abstract This paper examines the American metropolitan transportation system and maintains that it is in dire need of improvement, especially in terms of reducing air pollution. The paper discusses how the massive use of fossil fuels derived from oil is becoming prohibitively expensive, but that the gravest consequence is the constant emission of poisons into the atmosphere from vehicle exhausts. The paper points out that this problem has become especially acute over the last thirty years and needs to be resolved through the use of alternative fuels.
From the Paper "The American metropolitan transportation system is in dire need of improvement, especially in terms of reducing air pollution. The massive use of fossil fuels derived from oil is becoming prohibitively expensive, but the gravest consequence is the constant emission of poisons into the atmosphere from vehicle exhausts. This problem has become especially acute over the last thirty years and needs to be resolved through the use of alternative fuels. The initial development of fuel-efficient cars was primarily in response to the OPEC oil crisis of the nineteen-seventies and the resulting dramatic rise in gasoline prices for American motorists. Up until the Yom Kippur War of 1973, Americans drove high-powered, gas-guzzling cars and since gasoline was so cheap no consumers were interested in buying fuel-efficient cars."
Abstract The paper considers the greenhouse effect and global warming and discusses the development of hydrogen and electricity as alternative fuels. The paper author of the paper strongly believes that we must begin to use alternative fuels, otherwise we will continue on the downward path toward the complete destruction of the earth and its natural habitats.
From the Paper "Over the past ten years or so, the American government and the public have increased their awareness of the problems associated with global warming, caused by what some call the "greenhouse effect" in which carbon dioxide, the byproduct of burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, prevents the earth from cooling down as it naturally would if not for the presence of CO2 in the atmosphere. Within recent times, many scientists have concluded that this "greenhouse effect" is warming up the planet to the point where ice caps and glaciers in Antarctica and the North Pole are melting at unprecedented rates, thus making it feasible that coastlines along all major continents will be inundated by melting water sometime in the future, causing huge numbers of people to seek higher ground."
Abstract The paper discusses the strong reliance on other countries for fossil fuels and the problem of global warming that has encouraged many to promote the use of ethanol as a natural renewable energy source. The paper looks carefully at this alternative and how it compares to other energy sources. The paper discusses how it takes considerable energy to produce ethanol and could divert corn and soybeans from the nation's food supply thus causing a food crisis. The paper stresses the need to look carefully at this alternative and explore all its potential ramifications before any far-reaching decisions are made.
From the Paper "This year more than ever, Americans are beginning to be concerned about alternative fuels, do to the possibility of global warming, the significant increase of gasoline for automobiles and other vehicles and the growing tendency toward green concerns. Deciding on what alternatives of fuel to use, for automobiles for example, is not easy. There are a number of factors to consider that are known in addition to a number of unknowns as well. One of the alternatives that has been receiving considerable coverage this past year is ethanol. Similar to other options, however, it too has its plusses and minuses."
Abstract This paper argues that the large-scale diversion of food-crops towards bio-fuels is an ill-advised move that could have catastrophic consequences against little gain. The paper reveals that the large-scale diversion of food crops such as corn for producing ethanol has resulted in sky-rocketing food prices around the world. The paper also discusses the indirect effects of producing ethanol that arguably results in greater emission of carbon-dioxide as large forested areas, particularly in the Amazon, are cleared for growing crops. The paper argues further that corn-based ethanol is an unviable proposition, mainly because the ethanol would anyway only fulfill a minuscule amount of the total gasoline requirement in the country. The paper therefore concludes that producing corn-based ethanol is simply not worth the human suffering and environmental damage it can cause.
Outline:
Rising Grain and Food Prices
Effect on the Amazon
Corn-based Ethanol is Unviable
Conclusion
From the Paper "Barely a couple of years ago bio ethanol fuel was the undisputed 'darling' of environmentalists and government policy makers alike. It was being touted as a clean and renewable alternative to fossil fuels that would tame the galloping oil prices, cure the United State's 'addiction' to imported oil, and control the on-going global warming threatening the world's environment. The overenthusiastic proponents of bio-fuels had obviously not catered for the unintended consequences of an untried policy. The large-scale diversion of food crops such as corn for producing ethanol has resulted in sky-rocketing food prices around the world, and precipitated the worst food crisis in decades."
Tags: grain, food, prices, agriculture, Amazon, environment, energy
Abstract This paper provides a chapter by chapter review of Homer Hickman's book "Rocket Boys." It begins with chapters six to seven and takes the reader through the book, up until chapter fourteen. In each section, the paper describes the events of each set of chapters and briefly explains the theme and message that can be taken from that section of the book.
Table of Contents:
Rocket Boys: Chapters 6-7
Rocket Boys Ch.8-9
Rocket Boys Ch. 10-11
Rocket Boys Ch.12-14
From the Paper "One of the most interesting aspects of this scene is how it echoes many other scenes in Rocket Boys where women help Homer succeed, even while less forward-thinking, jealous, or brutish men do not. Homer's father wants him to work for the mines; Homer's mother wants him to become a scientist. Homer's principal makes the curriculum more difficult only when the school's future football seasons are threatened, Homer's teacher encourages him to shoot for the stars. Even the girls protect the Rocket Club members from the football players at the school and the school even has a female librarian who helps Homer and Miss Riley get the important book on rocket design. "Sonny, it may take awhile, but I believe you can learn the things that are in that book," says Miss Riley, and urges him to enter the science fair (207). Admiration (and perhaps a bit of a schoolboy crush) for Miss Riley acts as a powerful motivational force that drives the young Homer's ambition. "'Miss Riley,' I said, 'if you want me to enter I'll do it'" (207)."
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that the strength of 'Rocket Boys' as a memoir is that it is a tale that is both universal and particular. The writer maintains that Homer must deal with quarreling parents, roughhousing at school, and insensitive authority figures like the principal of his school. Although these difficulties are common to most adolescents, the writer notes that Homer's tale is also set during a unique period of American history, when America was coming to terms with its role as a superpower. The writer points out that the Rocket Boys did not merely build a rocket, and realize their dream of emulating their favorite scientists. They also changed the culture of the town in which they lived, which is perhaps every young person's greatest dream. The writer concludes that the older people were wrong and the boys were right, but the Rocket Boys changed the world, not through mindless rebellion and negation, but through mindful and positive pursuit of a great dream.
From the Paper "Homer's father was the mine superintendent. Homer Senior believed in the town and wanted Homer to follow in his footsteps. Homer had a clear choice--he could obey his father or he could obey his mother. His mother dreamed of a different life for her son, that he would grow up to fulfill all of her hopes and ambitions. She had seen firsthand the dangers of mine work, as well as the glories promised by the future of aerospace engineering, proclaimed by all of the newscasters after the launch of the Russian Sputnik. Homer's parents were in constant conflict, and he could not ally himself with one or the other, without losing either his mother or his father. Homer's father was such a presence in the town that Homer has no existence beyond his father's shadow at the beginning of the book--even his teachers called him Sonny. Although Homer loved his father, ultimately it was Elsie who drove her son to the National Science Fair at the end of the book. While Homer's parents both loved him, and Homer senior's outlook on life seems hopelessly conservative, patriarchal, reactionary, and backward-looking in the eyes of a contemporary reader. Homer's struggle resonates with any child who is the product of divorce, or simply a difficult home situation."
Abstract This paper reviews four alternate fuel options -- hybrids, turbo direct injection diesel, natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG); the advantages of alternate fuel options include healthier environmental impacts, a release reduction of carbon monoxide and other unhealthy gases (lead and nitrogen oxides) in the atmosphere and more fuel efficient options. The author points out that, currently, of the major car rental companies such as Hertz, Avis and Budget, only Budget presently offers alternative-fuel car rentals. The paper concludes that the economic advantages for Lotus Car Rental to offer AFVs to their Fleet are invaluable because (1) the consumer market's opinion has changed due to the rapid development in AFV technology, (2) the increasing gas prices, (3) the environmental crisis, (4) the tax incentives offered by the I.R.S., (5) the great success of car manufacturers in developing, producing and distributing AFVs and (6) the competitive and marketing advantages of Lotus to be associated with the pioneers in this field. Table and charts.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The History of Rental Cars in the U.S.
Alternative Fuel Options
Hybrids
Turbo Direct Injection Diesel
Natural Gas
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
Car Rentals and Alternative Fuel Vehicles
Advantages of Offering Alternative Fuel Vehicles as part of the Lotus Rental Fleet
The Future and Alternative Fuel Vehicles
Summary
From the Paper "Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV's) combine the conventional internal combustion engine with the battery and electric motor of an electric vehicle. The HEV's have gained a lot of popularity in recent years, because it offers the driver the same range in mileage and rapid refueling options as the conventional vehicle. The practical benefits of HEV's include improved fuel economy and lower emissions compared to conventional vehicles. A disadvantage is the purchase price, which is about $3,000 higher than a comparable car with a internal combustion engine that uses petroleum."
