smarter everyday
just tryna take it one step at a time
sometimes i wonder if these posts just go out into the void. if anybody ever reads them...
its ok of they don't. the primary goal is just to keep myself accountable and reflect on what I do each week. so here's to today!
last week was not so productive, but i guess that depends on your definition. i didn't get really finish/accomplish anything major. i did do a lot of thinking though.
small project updates
i am now fully immersed in ion thruster tests. my current design generates enough wind to blow out a candle from ~10 cm away. thrust is still pretty much negligible. definitely not enough to move a drone around. but considering my current designs are made from plastic, aluminum foil and tape, i'm not so mad at the results.
i'm starting to conduct a full study existing ion thrusters. trying to understand the fundamental physics. from geometry to power requirements to field lines to plasma dynamics. its a massive optimization problem and i imagine it will take me some time to find a good solution.
thoughts and learnings
project development is kind of slow going and i expect it to be that way for a while. in the background i'm starting to think about bigger picture things.
for starters, how did i get here? 8 months ago i was building AI apps. now i'm somehow designing rocket engines... the progression actually makes sense, but there are a lot of steps, so i won't get into it here.if you're interested in the story, pls reply of msg me :)
another important question is where am i going? currently the answer looks like a combination of research and a company. my time working in software startups has definitely shaped my thinking here. but i realized that if you really wanna get anything done, it probably looks like a company. the product will be rocket engines (it's funny to say that), more specifically: ion drives for interplanetary spacecrafts.
again, my path to this decision is very interesting, but (imo) completely logical. the research component comes in because, at this moment in time, i have absolutely no idea how to build rocket engines :)
i have a lot of learning to do, but luckily, that's one of the things i enjoy doing the most.
next steps
i've come up with somewhat of a 3 month plan. though it's more like a guide rail than a specific plan of action. it's composed of 4 linked, but individual steps.
finish the drone
the drone serves as a proof of concept and a hands on way to learn about the technology behind different thrusters. it will be a good __ for showing people that i know what i'm talking about.
become a quasi-expert in the field of space propulsion
if i wanna build real rocket engines then i damn well better be knowledgable about propulsion. i have a decent understanding of the tradeoffs between the different existing systems. but if i wanna make significant improvements to existing thrusters i need to know the fundamental physics backwards and forwards.
build a team
i am not so delusional that i think i can do rocket science all by myself. this is not some AI app that can be vibe coded. i'll need engineers well versed in physics and astronomy and logistics people to find loop holes in the bureaucratic hellscape. and it will be good to have people to help me chew the glass.
get funding
this is an important one. i imagine that building and testing rocket engines is an expensive endeavour. i'm hoping to fund initial R&D through various grants until i have a functioning prototype and pitch good enough to secure investment.
this is a lose plan that i thought up a few days ago. if you see any glaring issues i'm missing, or have any thoughts/tips please reach out!
and please wish me luck! i'm gonna need as much as i can get.
see you next week.