Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
 |
Comments on Rotating Space Elevator
Striking concept may sound similar to sfnal technologies used by Forward and Pohl. (Read
the complete story)
| "Don't forget such variants as the ED Tether, which is much shorter, and not actually connected to the ground. It orbits, while also spinning around its own epicenter, and then uses interaction with the ionosphere to boost itself slowly towards higher orbit. This one would be placed in LEO, reaching down just far enough that a ship designed to fly like a plane could fly up, match velocities with the lower end of it as it spins by, and hitch a ride up to orbit. You then need to either wait a while, as the tether slowly boosts itself back up to orbit, or use it to deorbit a vehicle that wants to come back down, before you can risk using it to boost another vehicle to orbit, but, it is a useful and relatively cheap alternative.
http://www.tethers.com/EDTethers.html
(And I thought that this use for "untethered skyhooks" was described in Pournelle's book "A Step Further Out", which is a collection of lectures he gave back in the late 70's and early 80's)" (Ashley 5/27/2009 7:04:15 AM) |
| "Ah, found what this site is calling the ones Pournelle described: Bolos or Rotovators.
http://www.tethers.com/MXTethers.html
So it looks like this concept has been around since at least the 80's, if not earlier, and the ED variants have been around since the late 80's." (Ashley 5/27/2009 7:15:47 AM) |
| "The Lofstrom launch loop is a separate concept to this. This idea spins the tether link you would a skipping tope, but vertically (with one end attached to the ground and one to the geostationary anchor). The launch loop spins a loop along it's length, using the centrifugal force to widen the loop (lifting it up, but not out of the atmosphere).
Rotovators/skyhooks are again different, with the tether remaining straight and rotating around it's centre, alternately dipping into the atmosphere at it's ends.
As far as I can tell, this is a truly new concept. I'd hate to think what additional requirements it puts on the already high required tether strength though. I wonder how the energy required to lift loads is compensated for (I assume that lifting a weight up the elevator slows it's rotation), unless there is an odd resonance affect or it somehow works akin to gravitational slingshotting and borrows momentum from the Earth instead of from the tether." ( 5/27/2009 7:49:41 AM) |
| "Yes, a Lofstrom loop is a separate concept.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lofstrom_launch_loop" (Winchell Chung 5/27/2009 1:33:18 PM) |
| "The launcher in Forward's DRAGON'S EGG was more like a space fountain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_fountain" (Winchell Chung 5/27/2009 1:33:49 PM) |
| "I'm not clear on this term 'slide' ..." (um 5/30/2009 10:46:05 PM) |
| "How do you spin this loop and the most important question is: which force drives you (or a payload) up from the earth against gravity without an extra kaunching force? The stirring coffee cup idea is just nonsense. It just drags down to earth the counterweight in space. Or?" (Arno Schrauwers 6/9/2009 1:31:12 AM) |
Get more information on Rotating Space Elevator
Leave a comment:
Tediously, spammers have returned; if you have a comment, send it to bill at this site (include the story name) and I'll post it.
More Articles
Mechazilla Arms Catch A Falling Starship, But Check Out SF Landing-ARMS
'...the rocket’s landing-arms automatically unfolded.'
A System To Defeat AI Face Recognition
'...points and patches of light... sliding all over their faces in a programmed manner that had been designed to foil facial recognition systems.'
Robot Hand Separate From Robot
'The crawling, exploring object was V-Stephen's surgeon-hand...'
Hybrid Wind Solar Devices
'...the combined Wind-Suncatcher, like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.'
Is Optimus Autonomous Or Teleoperated?
'I went to the control room where the three other men were manipulating their mechanical men.'
Robot Masseuse Rubs People The Right Way
'The automatic massager began to fumble gently...'
Solar-Powered Space Trains On The Moon
'The low-slung monorail car, straddling its single track, bored through the shadows on a slowly rising course.'
Drone Deliveries Instead Of Waiters In Restaurants?
'It was a smooth ovoid floating a few inches from the floor...'
Optimus Robot Can Charge Itself
'... he thrust in his charging arm to replenish his store of energy.'
Skip Movewear Arc'teryx AI Pants
'...the terrible Jovian gravity that made each movement an effort.'
'Robovan' Name Already Taken - Elon, Try These
There are alternative names that are probably in the public domain by now.
How Old Are Tesla Designs?
You be the judge.
Is Your Autonomous Tractor Safe?
'The field-minder finished turning the top-soil of a two-thousand-acre field.'
Smart TVs Are Listening!
'You had to live -- did live, from habit that became instinct -- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard...'
Police Drones In China Would Like To Have A Word With You
''OVERRIDE,' the City Fathers said suddenly, without being asked anything at all.'
Oh Great (Part 2), Fence-Climbing Robots
Please, no stingers.
Are The Thought Police Listening To Everyone All The Time?
'... they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to.'
Finally, Robot Conductors On Autonomous Buses
'Wardour Street,' he told the robot-conductor.'
RoboShiko! Sumo Exercises Still Good For Robots
'... the expressionless face before me was therefore that of the golem-wrestler, Rolem, a creature that could be set for five times the strength of a human being.'
Giant Robotic Hands At Gundam Next Future Science
'Waldo put his arms into the primary pair before him; all three pairs, including the secondary pair mounted before the machine, came to life.'
