Getting power from the moon

spaceref.com ^ | 16 Apr 02 | Press Release - AIP

[RightWhale]

1. terawatt, not Terrawatt
2. power should be transmitted to industrial facilities in lunar and earth orbit, not to the ground.

[Bikers4Bush]

Sounds like an opportunity for a never ending energy weapon to me.

We'd better build it first.

[Junior]

LSP -- Ling Standard Products

Must be Travelling ...

[SBeck]

Helium 3, yet another source waiting to be tapped on the lunar surface.

[rhombus]

Imagine how organized labor cold hold the world hostage -- of course they would have to be self-sufficient on the moon first -- sounds like a novel to me :-)

[RightWhale]

sounds like a novel to me

When it's ready, be sure to inform FreeRepublic first. :)

[ZOOKER]

Why is a lunar power station better than an orbiting one?

The writer makes no compelling case for putting his solar collectors ten times further away, at the bottom of a gravity well.

[RightWhale]

Why is a lunar power station better than an orbiting one?

The main point of the proposal, I believe, is that it won't be necessary to launch 1000s of tons of materials such as solar cells from earth to either orbit or to the moon if solar cells and structural components can be made from native lunar material. For a plant of the size required it would be cheaper overall to place the power stations on the moon.

[john in orinda]

This kind of idea has been floated for a long time, at least since I was in college in the '70s. The main question is this - when the control systems go haywire, how do you stop the "death ray" that's going to be sweeping the planet?

The positive side is that you have a great weapon that would be able to fry anything on Earth.
Regards,

[Gorzaloon]

The generators then send the energy to screens that reflect the microwave beams toward Earth, where they are received by arrays of special antennas strategically placed about the globe. "Each antenna converts the microwave power to electricity that is fed into the local power grid," says Criswell.

Yawn.

This again.

How '60's Science Fiction Retro.

Roll another one, and try again. As I said in the recent thread about the CO2 capture scheme, there must be a Real News shortage, because there is a veritable TSUNAMI of bullsh*t out there, and it is becoming more frequent and deeper.

[TheRightGuy]

The generators then send the energy to screens that reflect the microwave beams toward Earth

... yet another reason to break out the tin-foil hats ...

[WyldKard]

2. power should be transmitted to industrial facilities in lunar and earth orbit, not to the ground.

Shhhh! Let them find that out on their own. A few thousand schorched citizens, or a few massive forest fires due to misaligned microwave transmissions, and they'll figure it out ;-)

[BallandPowder]

Powder..Patch..Ball FIRE!

sounds like a novel to me

The Moon is A Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein
copyright 1966

[BibChr]

Getting power from the moon

This guy's been doing it, like, forever!

Dan

[finnman69]

Wait a minute. You are telling me the enviro wackos would allow high enenergy microwaves to be beamed through the air with the potential to kill birds? LOLOLOLOL.

These wackos are against windmills, so you know they will be against subjecting the earth to Godzilla sized microwaving.

Offshore Harvest of Wind Is Proposed for Cape Cod

[WyldKard]

The Moon is A Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein

Shhh! Don't say that...you'll rouse the anti-libertarian rabble here. :)

TANSTAAFL!

[Lazamataz]

Eventually, the moon will revolt.

All colonies revolt.

[RightWhale]

yet another reason to break out the tin-foil hats

A wide-brim foil hat that would shield the entire body would be a major fashion accessory.

[joesnuffy]

Watt are all those craters on the moon from?

[RightWhale]

the potential to kill birds?

A possible plus to the plan is that your picnic lunch would not spoil after a few hours in the summer sun. It would also be the end of toe fungus if the wide-brim foil hat is not wide enough.