Re: Using solar energy, in an alternative way.
- From: Matthew Johnson <matthew_member@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 28 Jul 2008 15:37:00 -0700
In article <3645a9c9-ec0f-453e-9c7c-5a785e29d8be@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
pixzor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx says...
Ok, hopefully this doesn't just sound crazy, but I was just thinking
about a number of ideas that look like they could work together.
Imagine, a large parabolic mirror, placed on the equator, and then try
to imagine a regular sized satellite, as a mirror in geostationary
orbit positioned just over the focal point. I remember the Russians
testing a space based mirror for extra light, so none of this seems
too unrealistic.
What is your source of information for the alleged Russian tests? I have heard
lots of tests attributed to them, tests that never took place. This sounds like
one of them.
So in the mid day sun, after some rotation of the ground based mirror,
it might then be possible to focus the reflected light from the
satellite to within a very small point, at the centre of the large
dish on the ground.
But remember that sunlight, unlike laser light, is incoherent. So you cannot
make the "very small point" arbitrarily small. Especially not with atmospheric
turbulence, scattering, refraction and diffraction. And clouds!
But this is not the real problem: the real problem is, how do you keep
airplanes, people and birds from wandering too close to the beam? And what about
the heating of the air around the beam? Far less intense heat makes hurricanes
in the Caribbean.
The idea I had was that the light, reflecting down
from space through the earth's atmosphere could be used to heat a
narrow column of the atmosphere to extremely high temperatures.
And this could have very bad effects, as alluded to above.
I am aware that some attempts have been maid to use ionized air with
electromagnets to lift a craft upwards. So would it be possible, maybe
using a Taurus shaped craft with the plasma focused through the middle
for the craft to pull itself up along the ionized air into space?
Ok, I know it would get really really hot inside that thing, and that
the Force of the photons exerted on the satellite might push it into
space, but would the craft be able to build up enough speed to escape
the earth=92s atmosphere?
I haven't done the back-of-the-envelope calculation, but my instincts lead me to
guess the following answer: even if it did work, it would be a hideously
inefficient way to accomplish it. You seem to think that somehow electromagnets
would be more efficient than a rocket, but why? It sounds like you are trying to
get a free ride off of the solar energy of the beam. But this might not even
work, since you would disturb the ionized air too much with the electromagnets.
BTW: how -were- you planning to keep the ion beam focused? In Tokomak reactors,
this takes a lot of wire and energy: why would your case be any different?
As for "the Force of the photons exerted on the satellite", yes, there is such a
force, but it is the heat from the photons you should be worried about. Once you
have enough photons to make a noticeable push, you have enough to heat even the
best reflectors. Now what are you going to do to dissipate that heat?
.
- References:
- Using solar energy, in an alternative way.
- From: pixzor
- Using solar energy, in an alternative way.
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