Replies

"Why use PV for solar power?"
"Why not mirrors?"
"I think PV is still worth more than its weight in gold."
"All those zillions of photons? ...a big force."

I'm suggesting Photo-Voltaic panels because,
. . . A) they have no moving parts,
. . . B) they can be made from space indigenous materials, i.e. robotic lunar factories, then catapult to orbit.
. . . C) no maintenance other than occasional replacement.

I do have plans for the mirrors, but not for steam turbines (that should be considered and calculated however. It is unlikely that any level of efficiency could make up for the cost to orbit mechanical systems and put them together.)

As far as the light force pushing the mirrors, I'm counting on that! Keep in mind the mirror over the South Pole does not orbit. Instead, it flies like a kite, pushed by the solar wind and light force, and pulled by the string of gravity.

The LaGrangian points are empty space, and the balance of forces will dictate a wide variation in parking locations. I'm sure it won't get too crowded. Even if it did, a little reaction mass to use as steering and station-keeping rocket fuel could always be factored in.

My only concern at the moment is just how big does the South Polar Axis Mirror (Hey! SPAM!) have to be made? We not only have to illuminate a continent, but also warm that "awful place." The mirror may take the form of the Keck telescope in Hawaii, with steerable mirrors, probably made of extremely thin sheets of aluminum, or perhaps aluminum struts with mylar reflectors, but it WILL have to be BIG!

The reflecting mirrors to warm Mars would also have to be very large. Keep in mind the orbital distance there means that sunlight is weaker. I may have over-estimated the time needed for terraforming Mars. A really aggressive plan could possibly be completed in only twenty years or so!

I have also glossed over the matter of estracting Carbon Dioxide from Venus. This will obviously involve more direct human activity in space, and dependence on "scoop ships" into the Venusian, (Venerean) atmosphere. (Dangerous!)

----This technique could also be used to gather hydrogen from Jupiter. That would provide a tripod of needed materials, Oxygen, Hydrogen, and Carbon which we have recently discovered is an excellent high-strength building material, AKA Carbon Fiber.----

Additionally, some may think this would lead to terraforming Venus. Theoretically that may be possible, but that is a LOT of heat to dissipate, and atmosphere to evacuate. Still, we could "mine" the atmosphere of Venus to supply Oxygen to the Jovian moons, for example, without concern about running low on the supply!

If all this sounds just too fantastically ambitious, keep in mind that a hundred years ago, Earth had one satellite, and today it has uncountable thousands!

I'm beginning to think I may as well just write the book. The problem is, there's so much detail about all these projects, it would read like a textbook. And look how slow this thread is moving. Who would read a book like that?

And if anyone else is out there, a question. How do I "soft-land" an iceberg on the moon? I know we'd have to wait for the turning moon to cool a bit, but could we get an effective delivery of water to the moon that way? Maybe after we "softened it up" a bit, it might not all evaporate, but I'm not sure of the kinetic energy involved. I'm thinking some kind of grazing shot, but the math is beyond me.