To: discostu
As far as weight of objects that we encounter all the time these days, how about a city bus? A few tons, no problem, they are everywhere moving at high speed. A loaded tandem-trailer truck. No problem. The Space Shuttle, wheeled out and back to the pad for launch. Every day stuff. 100-ton buildings transported complete to Prudhoe Bay on barge from Seattle and moved into position using crawlers. A Navy destroyer, the Cole, carried! back to repair port. The big Russian heavy-lift helicopter could deposit a city bus on top of the Great Pyramid, perhaps 2 at a time. Add it up, we probably move an equivalent weight of the Great Pyramid every hour every day and don't even think about it.
To: RightWhale
Did you see that mammoth the picked up with one of those choppers couple years ago (some damn Discovery Channel thing)? That was cool. Almost didn't make it though, the rotors were coning like you wouldn't believe. But they managed to pick up and fly away a woolly mammoth encrusted in ice which turned out to be a lot heavier than they thought (past spec for the chopper actually).
Then there's those mining trucks with the 30 foot tall wheels and the ladders (not steps LADDERS) to get into the cab, I think those trucks weigh more than any individual. Anybody wants to know just how much STUFF we can haul around these days should start here:
http://tlc.discovery.com/schedule/series.jsp?series=4016
Seeing these things in action is awe inspiring.
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