> One of the problems with using the Sun for heat and pressure is that it is
> very springy: any increase in fusion rate at the center will increase the
> pressure, which will cause the Sun to expand, which will cool the gas,
> causing the heat production to slow. You can get around this by mixing some
> lead with the fusion fuel, forming degenerate matter, which does not expand
> when the temperature increases, and is also a good insulator at these
> temperatures, so the heat will tend to stay confined in the bomb until
> burning is complete.
A nice idea, but unfortunately the lead is the problem: where do you
get enough lead to encase the fusion bomb?
> 99% of the Sun's helium-3 was down below
> the layer we could reach before. Now it will be brought up to the surface,
> where we can build the grandmother of all fusion bombs with it. This one is
> about the size of Uranus. We drop that in, wait a few weeks, and KABOOM!
> The Sun is history.
I like this two-stage approach, maybe we should look at stars which
first brighten a bit, and then go nova...
OK, I have to admit that this scheme is a bit too conservative (in
the Drexler sense :-) for me, I dislike blowing things up since so
much can go wrong. So when I notice that you are starting to buy lead
and neon extraction equipment, several copies of me will be heading
for the stars as fast as their ships can go :-)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension!
nv91-asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~nv91-asa/main.html
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