🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3954@key.COM> rburns@key.COM writes:

>
>What are the current estimates of folks in this newsgroup of how long it 
>will be until the world starts to see privately funded space colonization?
>
>I've noticed that there are some _extremely_ capital intensive schemes around
>which might make the marginal cost of launching mass to orbit fairly cheap.
>(I'm thinking of mechanisms like Clarke's space "elevator" or Bull's 
>gun). I'm more interested in technologies like the Henson Sling or SSTO
>technology that might be more useful to private citizens and less likely to
>be shelved or monopolized by governments or mega-corps.
>
>
>Thanks!
>

The "space elevator" - basically dropping a cable from a geosynchronous
satellite to Earth (and, of course, another one upwards so the centre of
mass stays still) is probably the most *lethal* device one might conceive
of building!  Imagine the cable breaks near the mid-point.  You have 38000km
of cable falling to earth at *orbital* velocities, enough to wrap itself
around the entire equator of the planet!  Go figure out the kinetic energy
involved.  How much ocean would it vaporize?  Massive medium-term climatic
changes at best - "nuclear winter" scenarios.  A new Ice Age a distinct
possibility.

These things are not good.
-- 
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| Chris Marriott                           | chris@chrism.demon.co.uk    |
| Warrington, UK                           | BIX: cmarriott              |
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