11-12-2013, 02:25 PM
**** Incoming Transmission ****
From: Dane Borrington, materials specialist junior grade
To: Jack Henderson
Subject: Elbich deliveries
Encryption: Internal
Guildmaster,
Grapevine has it you're the one handling the deliveries to that base over in Elbich, right? I'm not sure who else to toss this to. Was part of one of the convoys that went there and got into a chat with a few of the lads on-base. Sounds like none of 'em have much experience with sustained free neutron and high-energy gamma bombardments like one expects inside a darkmatter induced radiation field. They've been asking for deliveries of gold and silver, but those soft metals ain't gonna help them a whole lot in the long run, they'll just erode away like them rocks. Issue is the free neutrons - they change the structure of the atoms, so gold won't stay gold.
Believe it or not, but the best protection is a much cheaper material. Plain, ordinary lead is highly resistant against neutron bombardment and can absorb a high degree of gamma radiation, but too flexible and mallable for space construction, usually. However, hardening it with Beryllium would create a tough, if brittle, alloy that could be used as an outer shell, either as panels or in powder form or as a sprayed-on coating (an adhesive and impact resistant coating would need to be added if so - it's more useful for patching up damage). Beryllium alloying also dramatically increases absorption rates. Lead due to it's relative weight, isn't suited for use on spacecraft, but a free floating station has no real limitations on material weight. I believe the researchers on Ames are using a similar alloy to safeguard probes launched into the darkmatter storms in the Galileo system. Different phenomenon, but probably similar conditions.
Can understand if you want to keep bringing the rare metals to those Rheinland revolutionaries though. There's not a whole lot of profit in hauling lead, and it's relatively rare in space. But to me it seems wasteful - the industries on Honshu would offer a much better price for silver and gold.
- Dane Borrington
**** Transmission ends ***
From: Dane Borrington, materials specialist junior grade
To: Jack Henderson
Subject: Elbich deliveries
Encryption: Internal
Guildmaster,
Grapevine has it you're the one handling the deliveries to that base over in Elbich, right? I'm not sure who else to toss this to. Was part of one of the convoys that went there and got into a chat with a few of the lads on-base. Sounds like none of 'em have much experience with sustained free neutron and high-energy gamma bombardments like one expects inside a darkmatter induced radiation field. They've been asking for deliveries of gold and silver, but those soft metals ain't gonna help them a whole lot in the long run, they'll just erode away like them rocks. Issue is the free neutrons - they change the structure of the atoms, so gold won't stay gold.
Believe it or not, but the best protection is a much cheaper material. Plain, ordinary lead is highly resistant against neutron bombardment and can absorb a high degree of gamma radiation, but too flexible and mallable for space construction, usually. However, hardening it with Beryllium would create a tough, if brittle, alloy that could be used as an outer shell, either as panels or in powder form or as a sprayed-on coating (an adhesive and impact resistant coating would need to be added if so - it's more useful for patching up damage). Beryllium alloying also dramatically increases absorption rates. Lead due to it's relative weight, isn't suited for use on spacecraft, but a free floating station has no real limitations on material weight. I believe the researchers on Ames are using a similar alloy to safeguard probes launched into the darkmatter storms in the Galileo system. Different phenomenon, but probably similar conditions.
Can understand if you want to keep bringing the rare metals to those Rheinland revolutionaries though. There's not a whole lot of profit in hauling lead, and it's relatively rare in space. But to me it seems wasteful - the industries on Honshu would offer a much better price for silver and gold.
- Dane Borrington
**** Transmission ends ***