72. Helium | The Economics of Everyday Things

[@Zeppflyer]

While finding this whole thing fascinating and concerning, I'm wondering about the citation on the $12 million per normal space launch. That may have been true for the hydrogen-powered Shuttle, SLS, or even Delta IV, but it seems very unlikely for kerosene (RP1) or methane-powered rockets like the Atlas V, New Glenn, Electron, Falcon 9, or Starship. While most of these rockets do use helium for spin-starting the engines and for ullage gas (to refill the tanks as the propellant is used up), kerosene, liquid methane, and liquid oxygen don't require helium cooling, like liquid hydrogen. This is a big reason why so many new-space companies are going with these fuels, rather than the more efficient hydrogen: They're just so much cheaper, easier, and less dependent on limited materials to use. Like the greater efficiencies in MRIs that you've mentioned, this is a place where new launch companies are trying to cut down on the use of non-renewable resources. By definition, the most typical rocket launch in the world for the last few years has been the Falcon 9, which has an estimated internal cost to SpaceX of $20 million per launch. There's no way that they're spending more than half of that on helium.

[@tonyhill2318]

I really like the sound meter bars

[@thinktoomuchb4028]

A regulatory framework for mining in Minnesota is imminent. Samples revealed the highest concentration of helium in the world--up to 14.5 percent!

[@aaronfreeman5264]

Does Methane work for Balloons?

[@jwestney2859]

Methane is lighter than air but it is much heavier than Helium. Hydrogen weighs 93% less than air but we don't use it for balloons because of the Hindenburg (it explodes). Helium weighs 86% less than air so it produces a lot of buoyancy. Methane is 42% lighter than air so it produces some buoyancy, but also Hindenburg. So methane provides about half the buoyancy of Helium... probably not enough buoyancy for your balloon to float. I got my numbers from comparing molecular weight of methane to the molecular weight of Nitrogen in the air. You can get more precise numbers but methane is still not great for buoyancy.

[@aaronfreeman5264]

@@jwestney2859 Methane has Molecular Weight of 16, Helium 4, Air 29. Methane and Hydrogen don't leak without opportunity, but Methane burns, and Hydrogen barks. Hot Air has been used to float balloons, so it's a question for Party Planners.

[@CorruptionOfLuL]

First

[@minshullj]

Add that to your resume.

[@CorruptionOfLuL]

@@minshullj Thank you sir, this is my 7th 1st!