Future Strategic Issues/Future Warfare [Circa 2025] Dennis Bushnell – NASA – LENR

LENR, ZPE, Graphene, Nanotechnology, Robotics,Virtual IT, Supercomputers, Artificial Intelligence, and Bioengineering; all these arts of science and advanced technologies are of interest in this document. Everyone working in these scientific fields should review this document, envision the solution proposed by Dennis Bushnell, bring the issues forward in public forums, and work together to create a world where people do not feel the need to go to war.

Future Strategic Issues/Future Warfare [Circa 2025] by Dennis Bushnell et.al.

This 113-page slide-show from NASA, June of 2013, lays out what we are preparing to prevent; by foreseeing what the capabilities of advanced technologies will bring to the theater of war.

Dennis Bushnell is bringing everything out into the open for us to think about: these advanced warfare technologies are NOT something we can all just live with.

They are difficult to defend against, and often untraceable; being cheap and easy to manufacture. They will be developed commercially, and very simply; without requiring any long-term governmental development like mega-trillion dollar stealth bombers, naval carriers, and observational platform programs.

They are soon becoming commercially available, legally. Actions which classify these dangerous technologies as illegal are needed.

Page 2 The ‘Bots, ‘Borgs, ‘& Humans welcome you to 2025 A.D.
Nano-Bots and Swarms (by land, sea, or air) create a whole different scenario; where all large war objects become vulnerable to disabling attacks. How can one stop an attack from a cloud of thousands of single, individually-minded mosquitoes, or other swarms intent to disrupt or destroy Systems, Objects, Habitats, or Peoples?

All offensive weapons of war should be made illegal; to produce or sell, period. Defense systems will then be the  only legal military industrial complex sales allowed by law. The defense industry must comply and focus their efforts on defense, offensive abilities are forthwith illegal… Once again, period.

How can we create a human culture where people simply refuse to create war?

What can the emergent LENR energy and advanced technology communities do to contribute to a world culture that does not feel the need to ever go to war again?

That is the challenge according to Bushnell, and in many peoples’ opinion, the only solution.

Think out of the box… We will enable peace…  It is extremely important for our future.

Future Strategic Issues/Future Warfare [Circa 2025] Dennis Bushnell et.al.

NASA – LENR energetics and advanced technologies

Page 4 This presentation is meant to incite thought/ discussion and is based in all cases upon existing data/trends/analyses/technologies. (e.g., NO PIXIE DUST)

It provides, in some cases, a somewhat broader view of prospective developments and issues.

SO IT DOES, YES?

Indeed it does…

Page 22 The “Bushnell Challenge”
“In this [Worldwide] economy our ability to create wealth is not bounded by physical limits/resources but by our ability to come up with new ideas.”

However, even “universal wealth” will not obviate the other causes of warfare which include Politics, ”Face” (which include) Religion, Megalomania, and Territorial Disputes.

Page 7 Need to Plan “Differently”
Our World is in the throes of triple/exponential (IT/Bio/Nano) Technological Revolutions.
• Changes occurring at scales of months (instead of decades).
• Zeroth order potential effects upon Defense/Offense equipment/conops/threat.

Page 8 “SPACESHIP EARTH”
The crew are:
– Plundering the ship’s supplies.
– Tinkering with the temperature and life-support controls.
– Still looking for the instruction manual.
– Engaging in bloody skirmishes in every corner of the vessel.
– Increasing the size of the crew by 2 million PER WEEK.

ENERGETICS ACCORDING TO NASA
High Energy Density Materials (HEDM) (Power, Explosives, Propellants)
Tetrahedral N (Isp 600+ sec)
Atomic Born, C, H (Isp 600+ sec)
Metastable He (Isp 1500 sec) • Metallic Hz (Isp 2000 sec)
ISOMERS ( 105 x TNT)
Anti-matter
LENR’s

Page 37 Revolutionary Power Generation/Storage Opportunities
• Ultracapacitors • Adv. Fuel Cells (e.g. Lithium/water/air)
• HEDM (e.g. Solid H2, Isomers, antimatter, etc.
• Adv. PV (50%?) • Room Temperature SC/SMES
• C-Nanotube storage of H2 (non-cryo)?
• Offshore Methane Hydrate
• Blacklight power?
• LENR
• ZPE

Page 57 High Energy Density Materials (HEDM) (Power, Explosives, Propellants)
• Tetrahedral N (Isp 600+ sec)
• Atomic Born, C, H (Isp 600+ sec)
• Metastable He (Isp 1500 sec)
• Metallic Hz (Isp 2000 sec)
• ISOMERS ( 105 x TNT)
• Anti-matter
*LENR’s

Page 101 “Circa 2025”
• Machines as creative/“smart” as humans “Robotics” the “norm”
• Zeroth order “warstopper” – Binary bio into nation’s agric./food distrib. system (every home/fox hole)
• Next level of concern: Ubiquitous/Cheap micro-to-nano EVERYTHING (sensors, munitions, weapons swarms/hordes)
• Battlefield attrition/CNN syndrome forces U.S. Army to look/act like SOCOM

Page 106 Future “Warfare”
• “Defense” against the “then year” multitudinous conventional and unconventional delivery methods for volumetric and precision munitions is essentially neither doable nor affordable.
• Suggested National Defense Approaches:
– Work Technology, Intel, Diplomacy, SOCOM for detection/interdiction/deflection of the “pre-delivery” phases (causes of war, motivational and decision processes, design and construction, test)
– Work and ADVERTISE a REALLY EFFECTIVE RETRIBUTION to deter delivery (ala MAD).

Page 110
“War between mass armies weighed down with baroque equipment has become a third world sport. The advanced world, too vulnerable to survive a war of attrition or mass destruction, must learn to conduct its affairs by the Rapier–by the threat or use of small specialized forces exploiting high tempo and strategic surprise” – R. E. Simpkin, “Race to the Swift” – 1985

Page 111
In the second half of the 1900’s Nuclear/Bio Warfare was “Unthinkable”

In the first half of the 2000’s “conventional” warfare may become so deadly/effective as to become “Unthinkable” (“Killer Aps” available to mitigate the “Causes of War”)

Page 112 Approaches to Countering Group/Individual Deployment of IO/Bio

WMD PREVENTION
-Universal inexpensive Web based educ.
– Biomass via sea water irrigation DISCOVERY
– All Source Intel/Fusion/AI Analysis PREEMPTION/RETRIBUTION
– SOF (Foreign)

Page 113 (Usual) Reactions to this Presentation
• Is in the “Too Hard Box”;
• Not being done yet by anyone, therefore, will not be done;
• They would not do that.

We have to Hope they would not do that.

• Why go there, since there is no defense against it.

Some Disbelief, but agreement there is too much there to disregard.

“Responsibly imaginable” LENR solutions from NASA

Chief Scientist at NASA Langley Research Center Dr. Dennis Bushnell has authored a new report Advanced-to-Revolutionary Space Technology Options The Responsibly Imaginable which includes low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR).

This particular report focuses on how humans might visit Mars. “In general revolutionary goals [such as Mars-Humans] require revolutionary technology,” writes Bushnell, and LENR is part of NASA Langley’s portfolio of solutions.

In this case, “responsibly imaginable” means that “Nominal and usual enabling timescales for such technologies are the order of 12-to-15 years for research and triage, and another 12-15 years for development.”

marsFor humans to visit Mars, a large infrastructure must be launched from Earth orbit. This “up-mass” consists of all the elements to keep humans alive and safe, what NASA describes as “pink and warm”. Long-term space exploration has so far been powered by radioisotope generators (RTGs), which use radioactive plutonium to make heat that is turned into electricity using thermoelectric converters. Plutonium, aside from being dangerous and dirty, is in short supply these days, and recent Mars robotic rover missions have utilized most of the last store of material.

One thing about LENR, it can make heat. Dr. George Miley, Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne and head of start-up LENUCO, proposed replacing RTGs with LENR devices at the NETS conference a year ago, and has since speculated how these devices could power domestic needs as well.

Bushnell’s report also seeks to refute a statement made at a recent USAF workshop that claimed, according to Bushnell, “Space is a Mature and Declining field of Endeavour in the U.S.”

To do so, he first lists the experimental and commercial efforts with which NASA has been engaged over the decades to develop new useful technologies but that have not succeeded. Then he explains why, writing “Essentially, Space Commercialization going forward is hostage to far lower space access/launch costs.”

Rudolf Nebel, left, is pictured with German rocketeers including (second from right) Wernher von Braun, 19 at the time, and Professor Hermann Oberth (to the right of the rocket). - Image credit: NMMSH Archives
Rudolf Nebel, left, is pictured with German rocketeers including (second from right) Wernher von Braun, 19 at the time, and Professor Hermann Oberth (to the right of the rocket). – Image credit: NMMSH Archives
Tracing current space technology from World War II-era ballistics, Bushnell says that efforts to improve the current chemical fuel technology have been unprofitable within business models because “the current cost of access to space is in the range of thousands-of dollars per pound-of-payload.”

“We have, throughout the “Space Age” starting in the 1950’s, been in thrall to Chemical Propulsion. Breakthroughs in energetics and propulsion beyond Chemical appear to be required going forward.”

Fortunately, Bushnell believes that “The relatively straight forward applications of the ongoing civilian and military worldwide technology investments will greatly reduce mission cost and enhance safety going forward.”

Advances in materials science, information- and nano-technology have reduced the mass of spacecraft and thus the cost, but as Bushnell notes, “humans are not shrinking”, thus lower-cost lift, propulsion and power systems are required. That’s where LENR comes in, for high-thrust in-space propulsion.

“The LENR situation is in a major state of flux with recent apparently successful theoretical efforts and indications of much higher yields,” writes Bushnell, adding “if proven technologically viable, (LENR) would also be candidates for in space and on planet power.”

While the report inventories an array of possible technologies, here’s the portion devoted to LENR:

Low Energy Nuclear Reactions, the Realism and the Outlook
LENR could, by itself, COMPLETELY Revolutionize Space access and utilization. Although there is a quite long history of “anomalous” observations including transmutations the “recent” consideration of Low Energy Nuclear Reactions begins with the Pons/ Fleishman late 80’s observations and assertions regarding what they termed “Cold Fusion”. Subsequent difficulties with experimental replication and an utter lack of convincing theoretical explication forced research in this arena “underground” with minimal financial support.”

“The current situation is that we now have over two decades of hundreds of experiments indicating heat and transmutations with minimal radiation and low energy input. By any rational measure this evidence indicates something real is occurring.”

“So, is LENR “Real”? Evidently, from the now long standing and diverse experimental evidence – yes – With effects occurring using diverse materials, methods of energy addition etc. This is FAR from a “Narrow Band”/episodic set of physical phenomena.”

“The next consideration is “WHAT IS REAL? WHAT IS Happening? For NASA Langley the epiphany moment on LENR was the publication of the Widom-Larsen weak interaction LENR Theory. This theory is currently under study and experimental verification [or not] at NASA LaRC. The theory appears to explain nearly all the various and often variegated experimental observations and shifted the LENR Theoretical focus from some way of “fooling” Particle Nuclear Physics/The Strong Force to Condensed Matter Nuclear Physics, Collective Effects, The Weak Force and “Heavy Electrons”. The Strong Force Particle Physicists have of course evidently been correct all along, “Cold Fusion” is not possible. HOWEVER, via collective effects/condensed matter quantum nuclear physics LENR is allowable without any “Miracles”. The theory states that once load surfaces with hydrogen/protons and add some energy IF the surface morphology enables high localized voltage gradients then “heavy electrons leading to ultra low energy neutrons will form, neutrons that never leave the surface. The neutrons set up isotope cascades that results in beta decay and heat and transmutations with the heavy electrons converting the gamma from the beta decay into heat.”

“The theory indicates several key issues/circumstances are required to enable-to-optimize
LENR and explains the various experimental observations, including the often long initiation times required in some experiments. If the theory is experimentally validated in detail it provides the understanding to shift LENR research from discovery into engineering development. The theory indicates energy densities some million times chemical, the current experiments are in the 10’s to hundreds range. However, several labs have blown up studying LENR and windows have melted, indicating when the conditions are “right” prodigious amounts of energy can be released/produced. There are some 6 or so groups claiming device outputs in the 100 watt range and 3 others claiming kilowatts. Efforts are ongoing within NASA and other organizations to validate, or not, these claims. It should be noted that these devices are essentially “Edisonian,” the result of attempts at experimental “discovery” vice ab-initio design from the weak interaction theories per se.”

“The LENR situation and outlook is therefore the following: Something real is happening,
the weak interaction theories suggest what the physics might be, there are efforts ongoing to explore the validity of the theories, there are continuing Edisonian efforts to produce “devices,” mainly for heat or in some cases Transmutations. There are efforts to “certify” such devices. We are still FAR from the theoretical limits of the weak interaction physics and are in fact inventing in real time the requisite Engineering, along with verifying the physics. When we concentrated upon Nuclear Engineering beginning in the 1940’s we went, “jumped” to the strong force/particle physics and leapt over the weak force, condensed matter nuclear physics. We are going “back” now to study and hopefully develop this arena.”

“The “Precautionary Principle” demands that we core down and determine realism for this arena, given the truly massive-to-mind boggling benefits – Solutions to climate, energy and the limitations that restrict the NASA Mission areas, all of them. The KEY to Space Exploration is Energetics. Some examples of what LENR might/ could enable in a resultant “Energy Rich” Exploration context include:

– Refrigeration for Zero Boiloff cryo storage
– Active Radiation protection
– High Thrust Vasimir/MHD Propulsion
– Energy Beaming
– Separation of propulsive mass and energy/ energetics to establish the requisite
conductivity for most “harvested” propulsive mass including regolith
– Planetary Terraforming
– Ubiquitous in space and on-planet sensors and robotics
– LEO propulsion
– On planet power and energy
– EDL retro via heating of ingested mass”

“Also, The Key to SST’s and neighbor-friendly personal fly/drive air vehicles is Energetics, as simplex examples of the potential implications of this area of research. There are estimates using just the performance of some of the devices under study that one percent of the nickel mined on the planet each year could produce the world’s energy requirements at the order of 25 percent the cost of coal. No promises but something[s] seriously “strange” are going on, which we may be closer to understanding and if we can optimize/engineer such the world changes. Worldwide, worth far more resources than are currently being devoted to this research arena. Need to core down and determine “Truth”. If useful, need to engineer/apply.” —Dr. Dennis Bushnell Advanced-to-Revolutionary Space Technology Options The Responsibly Imaginable

They won’t call it cold fusion, but NASA is keeping an open-mind to new energy technology through experimentation and testing a LENR theory. Bushnell knows the importance of “not picking the winner” too early on. It isn’t easy, even for a national Chief Scientist.

In the report, Bushnell quotes Ivan Bekey from his Chapter 9 Long Term Outlook for Commercial Space in the book “Toward a Theory of Space Power”:

“The Nation’s space programs are in a horrible mess and appear to be locked in a
downward spiral. Almost all defense and civil government space programs suffer from
similar symptoms:

 no toleration of or planning for failures
 avoidance of risk
 lack of funding for new technologies
 inability of industry to afford research or to develop technologies alone
 suppression of disruptive technologies
 disappearance of the concept of experimental systems in space.
As a result of these symptoms, the following conditions are now the norm:
 absence of innovation
 long timelines for even modestly new developments
 billion-dollar price tags for major systems
 major overruns and schedule slips
 need for long on-orbit life to amortize the investment
 obsolescence of systems upon launch or soon thereafter.”

Bushnell sums it up with:

Overall – As mentioned in the Bekey comments cited herein, the pursuit of Revolutionary Space Technologies has over the years been akin to a battle, with the forces of conservatism/evolution consistently winning over those advocating risky/huge payoff REAL “Game-Changing” approaches. The Space Community has simply been unwilling to make the investment of time and treasure to ideate and triage/develop Revolutionary Technologies, resulting in Space being largely and still a high capital investment evolutionary at best Industrial Age Endeavour in the IT age heading rapidly to the Virtual Age.

and ends with this quote of Ivan Bekey:

The battle is within. It is a cultural one: between glorifying the past or
marching toward the future, between protecting successes or cannibalizing them,
between averting risk or embracing it. The battle is for the soul of the of the Industry [and the Future of Humankind in Space]

… and we’ll add ‘on Earth too’!

Cold Fusion Now!

Related Links

Review of NASA/Zawodny US Patent application David J. French

Aneutronic Fusion Spacecraft Architecture – LENR Cold Fusion Gregory Goble

NASA LENR series Gregory Goble

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