Please Freep Mail me if you'd like on/off
Posted on 06/29/2007 5:50:52 AM PDT by Uncledave
(Interesting the author didn't postulate how the power would back get to earth)
Please Freep Mail me if you'd like on/off
Microwave transmission. One catch, tho - the beam gets out of alignment with the receiving station, and you get lots of cooked stuff down below. The technology required to operate such an orbital construct is not exactly ‘off the shelf’.
“how the power would back get to earth”
A low power density microwave beam, tuned away from the strong water peaks. The reciever is a large array of small rectifying antennas (rectenna array).
If the beam wanders off, the low power density does not cause (much) damage.
It requires a large rectenna, but if you use a very concentrated beam, the consequences of a beam steering accident goes up. Rectennas are simpler than solar cells and can be worked into building structures.
Ambitious and forward-thinking. We’ve had shuttles for how long now? And what do we do with them?
This SF has been going around since the '70's.
If the beam wanders off, the low power density does not cause (much) damage
How much damage does it cause? Minor sunburn, toasted pop-tarts? Inquiring minds want to know.
One man’s space-based power station is another man’s directed energy weapon.
Hmmm, it could easily be turned into a weapon ( sounds like a James Bond movie ). Better not piss off Apu when talking to him on tech support. "Now Mr. American. I see on my monitor that your GPS is ......You have been berry, berry rude to me. Have a nice day !! "
Exactly. Pakistan ain't gonna be happy with this.
So if you really want to know, look for those reports. Mid 80’s, maybe? Microwave power from space, microwave power in space, should get the reports.
It’s sad to see what we had planned back then, compared to what we are doing now. Now, India, China, and Japan are all considering permanent space presence including beamed power and a permanent space infrastructure. Somewhere along the way we abandoned space.
Space ping
The sunlight that the solar power satellite turns into microwaves would have fallen on Earth anyway. Thanks to losses through the conversion process, the solar power satellite actually reduces the total heat absorbed by the atmosphere somewhat.
The microwave beam as contemplated would pose no danger to people or animals; its total power would be spread over many, many square kilometers of surface, reducing the microwave flux at any given location within the footprint to a small amount. One simple method of easing people’s nervousness over this non-problem would be to build the rectenna at sea, the way we build offshore windpower platforms now. The buoy-sized receiving elements could be built cheaply on land and towed to their anchor positions, then connected by underea cables to form a large array.
Good on yer India.
“Now, India, China, and Japan are all considering permanent space presence including beamed power and a permanent space infrastructure.”
I say good luck to them on getting the spaceplane built and operational. It’s not impossible for them to make it work but that is a very challenging technology to implement. Should be interesting to watch.
“Good on yer India.”
Yup,I agree. We could have done this ourselves, with huge rectennas in “wasteland” areas like Nevada Test Site and NYC. We chickened out.
Funny how the Greenies protest any attempt to get out from under imported oil.
Case in point, the Soviet shuttle was designed for remote operation and ours was deliberately designed so that an awake aware and healthy person must be at the controls for takeoff and landing. A political decision to require MANNED spaceflight.
Plus, the Soviet shuttle had far more hauling capacity because they didn’t put huge engines in the structure.
Yes, the technology is difficult but USA and CCCP showed that it can be done. You don’t need to be an American to go into space.
Interesting weapon potential. Reminds me of the reflective beam in Jason and the Argonauts...
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