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Non Gaming Discussions => Off-Topic => Topic started by: GmanJoe on October 17, 2003, 09:35:23 AM

Title: Tethered to Earth from space.
Post by: GmanJoe on October 17, 2003, 09:35:23 AM: http://canada.com/news/oddities/story.asp?id=B86ACC4E-4A3D-4291-9152-CE0C565927BA

Holy cow. This is gonna be something. Didn\'t Futurama have this and the thing fell? :p
Title: Tethered to Earth from space.
Post by: FatalXception on October 17, 2003, 10:16:13 AM: They\'ve been looking at this idea for a while now. I wouldn\'t count on it happening anytime soon. Besides the fact that the technology has a long way to go, one of the biggest obstacles is going to be the unbelieveable one-time cost of putting it into orbit. It\'s more than just the carbon link that has to be 100 km long, it\'s the platform they have to put at the top, and so forth.

Of course, once any country does it, they will have carte-blanche to put as much stuff into space as they want... the limit won\'t be on getting it up there.. it\'ll be on building it.
Title: Tethered to Earth from space.
Post by: Titan on October 17, 2003, 12:21:41 PM: Pretty cool idea. I doubt it will fly though, at least for a long time.
Title: Tethered to Earth from space.
Post by: GmanJoe on October 17, 2003, 01:42:18 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Titan
Pretty cool idea. I doubt it will fly though, at least for a long time.

Was that a pun? :p Coz it\'s basically like pulling a giant kite...only in space.
Title: Tethered to Earth from space.
Post by: Avatarr on October 17, 2003, 02:01:51 PM: it\'s more like tying a heavy can to a rope and spinning. it\'ll work.
Title: Tethered to Earth from space.
Post by: (e) on October 17, 2003, 08:10:40 PM: It wont work. I just know it, something is going to happen and they are gonna get f*&$ed.
Title: Tethered to Earth from space.
Post by: Coredweller on October 17, 2003, 09:16:28 PM: This idea has been the subject of many science fiction novels over the years. See:

The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
Sundiver by David Brin
Red Planet by Kim Stanley Robinson

It will happen one day. It\'s inevitable. Once we build one on Earth and another on a destination planet like Mars, colonization will be extremely easy.
Title: Tethered to Earth from space.
Post by: Avatarr on October 18, 2003, 01:45:47 AM: I still say they should just build super massive baloons and launch rockets from them at 20KM above the ground. One of the X-Prize contestants are doing it this way and I like their idea. :D

ALTERNATIVELY, you could have the rocket as part of the baloon and you can shape it into one of them fancy StarTrek starships. :D :D :D
Title: Tethered to Earth from space.
Post by: Lord Nicon on October 18, 2003, 08:01:11 PM: A base in the ocean? With all that is in the atmosphere and variable weather along with all the other potential things to go wrong i cant see this happening. At least no time soon.
Title: Tethered to Earth from space.
Post by: Avatarr on October 19, 2003, 12:29:32 AM: 10 years