We need a Space Elevator!
Posted on 07/17/2015 4:43:58 AM PDT by Kaslin
We have the means, however it would require cutting all of the social crap out of government that is not only wasteful and ineffective, but holds our society back.
Actually, there is some scientific basis for both wormholes and warps.
And, specifically, an Alcubierre-type Warp IS a method of cheating the Einstein Limit.
We just don’t have the tech to do it. Yet. I have faith in Humanity getting Out There. Just not so sure America will do it. . .
“cannot”
the word of fools and doubters
“I just can’t get too excited about space exploration right now.”
I couldn’t agree more. We have far more pressing issues on earth at present. It’s nice to muse about gauzy images of deep space exploration.. manned missions beyond the Solar System, etc.
However, with debts near $20 trillion, barbarians at (and now inside) the gate, an undefended border, a dumbed-down populace that clamors for handouts more than opportunities, a rapidly declining social order and a federal government that frankly doesn’t do anything well.. deep space missions at present are best kept in movie theaters and drawing boards.
We have the will but will is not the issue.
There would be no need to try to explore the universe for some other planet to live on if the human race only limited itself to 1 child per individual...either by will or natural forces. That means a single individual would be limited to fathering or birthing only one child (multiple births an exception). Mom equals 1. Dad equals 1. No more.
In time, the population of the earth would reduce to the point that there would be absolutely no reason to look elsewhere to live.
In my opinion the “race to space” is nothing more than an academic wet dream to answer the questions “why, when, where, and how?” In addition to that the “heavy thinking” industry has squandered trillions of dollars on an effort to answer these questions with only vague ideas that have been answered with vague results.
Granted, many useful inventions and products have been developed by the space program but in time, as the need arises for newer technologies and products, they will be produced, space program or not.
We need a Space Elevator!
Simulating gravity by spinning the carrier capsule would solve the bone problem, but there’s still a mess of other issues in travel such as dealing with radiation.
If we ever were to reach another planet I see very little chance of a human survival/procreation on it. We would have to hit a billion to one lottery that the planet has nearly identical atmospheric composition as ours.
Terraforming Mars might be the best option for leaving earth but something like that would take quite a long time.
The government robs me to squander the fruits of my labors on supporting the lifestyles of the permanently can't be bothered with working for a living class. That's bad enough, but it could be said that at least some of them my eventually get a job and actually contribute something to the economy.
But what does space exploration contribute?* It's great that we have pictures of Pluto, but so what? Does seeing a picture of ice mountains on an object 3,000,000,000 miles away change my life in any way at all? The answer is a resounding no. I don't care about space exploration in the least so I'm not part of the "we."
However, the space kadets who think "man's future is in space" want me and other like me to pay for their pipe dream.
When the author says "we" what he means is that he wants the already overburdened taxpayers to fork over more of their hard earned cash to fund his dream. Personally I'm not interested, but I have an alternative proposal:
Let those who want to explore space set up a private funding organization where they can donate as much as they want and like minded individuals can also chip in and use this to pay for the necessary R&D, manufacturing, launch costs, etc. to explore whatever it is they think so important. (In fact this is already happening) Just making a prediction, but I suspect that they won't get enough to flesh out the dreams even though some mighty rich people have stepped up to the plate. I've noticed that space kadets are keen to spend other peoples' money to see their dreams take shape, but are not very forthcoming with their own funds. In that regard they are not different than any other liberals who think that someone else's hard earned dollars should be taken at gunpoint to spend on something that they would never use their own funds to pay for.
So space kadets explore space to the limit of YOUR wallets. I will be happy to see you successful, and I may even buy copies of your pictures if they're interesting enough, but don't use the power of government to rob me at gunpoint to pay for something I don't want.
*And before anyone starts yapping about all of the technology spinoff benefits (that for the most part don't exist) read Bastiat And think of how much less efficient government sponsored anything is than private enterprise. BTW Transisters were invented in Bell Labs. Velcro was invented by a Swiss engineer, etc.
“Yet. I have faith in Humanity getting Out There.”
If we don’t destroy ourselves first. I’m not a pessimistic person...but as a species, we spend so much of our time, efforts and resources on satisfying our greed for power and “ownership”, that we lose sight of the more nobler tasks. If we overcome our shortsightedness and social failings, I agree that someday we will make it to the stars.
Yep, another simple idea that makes space more accessible.
I’m personally not interested in interstellar flight in respect to this thread so much as I am interested in making our solar system more accessible. The space elevator combined with mining and manufacturing in space and on the moon would make space much easier.
3D printing in space is another thing that could lead to great leaps. Even rocky asteroids could be pulverized and turned into concrete for printing into massive hulls for the large ships we really need for long duration time in space. We currently send life rings to space with a couple of men when we really need aircraft carriers with crews of dozens or hundreds.
What do you make the cable out of?
Carbon fiber nanotubes is the current specification.
If there were two or more groups of dead bodies on the moon surface that we could see with telescopes, would we have the will now?
Is it going to be strong enough? I remember reading some article about a year ago that mentioned diamond and some kind of carbon fiber, but concluded that even with the maximum strength that molecular bonds can develop no material would be quite strong enough to support its own weight. I don't know for sure just asking if anyone has seen any recent research on the topic.
WE CAN get a monstrosity into orbit. TODAY....but we do not have the guts to do it.
We can launch such a vehicle with Project Orion type device. I suggest the launch site at Mecca.
“Terraforming Mars might be the best option for leaving earth but something like that would take quite a long time.”
Not if the machines are self building and dismantling...
Basically imagine sending one robot to a planet that starts to mine, refine and construct other robots from the raw materials in that planet’s soil.
Then various specialized robots fill the planet and alter the composition of the soil and the atmosphere until the ideal environment is achieved. Then they dismantle themselves into useful structures for humans, start growing food and we begin to arrive!
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