The thread for space cadets!
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Crezth
i knew you were a real man of the left
IIRC you want it (space elevator) closer to the equator to maximize the centripetal force on the orbital hook to keep the line tensile. There's like 20 degrees of give or so to make the dynamics work. Any higher/lower than that and the necessary shape of the hook's orbit places the elevator line itself at an odd angle; get too close to the ground, and it is essentially unusable.
Crezth
i knew you were a real man of the left
Equatorial real estate is hard to find. :>
hobbsyoyo
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Well that was my point earlier about it being an international effort. You're going to have to work with an equatorial nation or incur the extra cost of a sea based elevator. Even then, the elevator has global reprecussions so you'll have to work with other nations regardless.
You think people in Massachusettes don't like seing windfarms off their coast? Man, who is going to like looking at this thing:
You think people in Massachusettes don't like seing windfarms off their coast? Man, who is going to like looking at this thing:
Winner
Diverse in Unity
I would
It would be just a thin line disappearing in the sky. Definitely not worse than hundreds of wind turbines.
Also, the elevator doesn't have to be anchored on land. Actually most proposals I saw advocated a platform in the ocean, which would also serve as sea and air port. This would make it easily accessible and out of reach of individual governments' whim.
Land-anchored one wouldn't be that problematic either. I suppose most equatorial nations (Equador, Brazil, Kenya, etc.) would actually compete fiercely to have it on their territory - it would be a major investment and a magnet to all kinds of other business.
hobbsyoyo
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I would
It would be just a thin line disappearing in the sky. Definitely not worse than hundreds of wind turbines.
Also, the elevator doesn't have to be anchored on land. Actually most proposals I saw advocated a platform in the ocean, which would also serve as sea and air port. This would make it easily accessible and out of reach of individual governments' whim.
Land-anchored one wouldn't be that problematic either. I suppose most equatorial nations (Equador, Brazil, Kenya, etc.) would actually compete fiercely to have it on their territory - it would be a major investment and a magnet to all kinds of other business.
I would like to see it as well, but I don't think many or most people would agree.
What I'm saying though is that putting it out to see is going to cost more because of the special logistics involved. And you're still going to have to work with other governments, probably even the entire UN to build one.
As far as countries wanting to host it, yes I agree with you.
My line of argument was that this isn't going to be an undertaking of one nation alone. It will involve multiple nations, regardless of where you put it. I did not say that it won't happen, or that some countries will want it in their borders --> just that it's not going to be solely a US or Chinese project.
Winner
Diverse in Unity
I kind of expect the elevator to be built by a consortium of commercial subjects, maybe with some inter-governmental support. It's not something that's happening in foreseeable future, so I haven't really thought about the logistics of it.
hobbsyoyo
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I could see it being either a government lead effort or a commercial effort. Either way, it will require massive international cooperation, IMO.
I'm a giant fan of the Space Elevator. I really recommend joining the ISEC mailing list; momentum really matters on something like this.
Yes. They tend to be fairly active, all told. When all we've got is grassroots, then we should recognise that it's only grass-roots efforts that help.
hobbsyoyo
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That was a good guess on my part then. I'll check them out!
hobbsyoyo
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I thought this article about Warp Drives being more feasible than previously thought was gonna be good. Then I read the words 'exotic matter' and had to sit on my hands to keep from choking myself.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49064028/ns/technology_and_science-space/
Random question:
How do I embed a link inside of other words that are not the actual link?
Like if I wrote 'this' and clicking on this took you to the webpage.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49064028/ns/technology_and_science-space/
Random question:
How do I embed a link inside of other words that are not the actual link?
Like if I wrote 'this' and clicking on this took you to the webpage.
bugwar
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bugwar
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Hey, one step at a time. Once upon a time aluminum tableware was reserved for the crown heads of nations.
At least now we don't have to destroy Jupiter to fill up the gas tank.
hobbsyoyo
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Hey, one step at a time. Once upon a time aluminum tableware was reserved for the crown heads of nations.
At least now we don't have to destroy Jupiter to fill up the gas tank.
Yeah I talked about that in the 'Does this exist?' thread.
One of the major advantages of asteroid mining is that it has the potential to crash the market for rare earths and precious metals. While counterintuitive, think of how good this would be for us all?
Think of all the products that either cost a ton or use inferior substitutes to keep costs down since things like platinum/molydenum are so expensive?
Random Off-Topic aside, feel free to ignore:
I find the depiction of AI in popular culture extremely childish. The scenario basically goes: people invent AI, people enslave robots, then:
This scenario is roughly equivalent to the crusaders having nuclear weapons in an alternate timeline. Absurd, you say? Crusaders didn't have all the other techs required to build nukes, you say?
Exactly. The path to AI isn't linear or one track. The world isn't a civ game where you can beeline to a specific tech and ignore the rest. By the time we (probably) develop AI, we will also more than likely be extensively bio-engineering ourselves or directly interfacing with computers, blurring the line between what is human and what is AI.
Similarly, our culture will be growing and adapting. Just as the Crusaders would've nuked most of the ME because that's how they rolled, of course we would enslave robots if given that tech right now. But today, thankfully, we don't nuke every country that crosses us. Hopefully, our cultural, societal, economic and political systems and institutions will have grown up to the point that we could rationally handle AI when it comes.
That being said, the current nightmare depictions of our coming AI overlords actually does help our culture adapt. We're thinking about the problem before we even have it. It's effing amazing to be human.
/OT
hobbsyoyo
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Yes. It doesn't work when I try it. What do you do?
SouthernKing
crickety cricket
It's not working for me either.
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