Re: [OT] Space Programs was: Columbia

Aaron Teske schrieb:
> I may be mistaken on this one, but I believe the shuttle
> (or at least the space program) is also one of the first places
> fuel cells were really put to use, which are now (per the
> State of the Union address) apparently going to show up in cars
> sometime in the near future.	

The story of the fuel cell is an interesting example. The first serious
application was in the space program. However, these were basically
useless for mundane terrestrial applications. Too expensive, too
inefficient, too reliant on pure materials and fuels.

The prime developer of fuel cells for terrestrial applications in
recent years was Ballard http://www.ballard.com in Canada, a garage
firm. A few years ago, they published their story in an interesting
book.

Generally, many of the tales of practical applications developed from
the space program have to be taken with a grain of salt. Quite
possibly, the same results might have been achieved with earth-bound
research. The point is that research subsidies have often (especially
during the Cold War) been easier to get for space research than for,
say, energy efficiency.

I just wonder what the State of the Union Address has to do with fuel
cells ?

Greetings
Karl Heinz