Re: global warming: is it us, or is it the sun?

From: Christopher M. Jones (marmiteNOTSPAM_at_dualboot.net)
Date: 07/28/04

  • Next message: Dan DeLong: "Re: Space Tourism (was Re: Orbiter shape.)" 
    Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2004 22:17:41 -0500

    Henry Spencer wrote:
    > There are diseconomies of scale which set in when the things get really
    > big, e.g. problems with tidal torques and control of a large flexible
    > structure (there is no such thing as a rigid structure on that scale) get
    > rapidly worse. The optimum scale may actually be somewhat smaller than
    > the classical designs, if you use the whole array area as transmitting
    > antenna rather than having a separate antenna.

    Hmmm. I wonder if you could make a lego-block style
    modular SPS. Where each chunk contains a bit of RCS,
    a bit of PV array, a bit of phased array rectenna, a
    bit of control subsystems, etc. There need not be
    any electrical connections between modules, the only
    connections needed would be for structural support
    and data transmission. Attitude would be controlled
    via coordinated activities of the various RCS bits.
    The power beam would be steered via coordinating the
    independent phased array transmitters. Theoretically
    it could be very cheap, and perhaps be made very
    large (since it would not have to be statically
    rigid in any meaningful sense). Differential GPS or
    some equivalent could be used to keep the phased
    arrays working together despite small changes in the
    relative positions and orientations of the various
    modular bits.

    As for the space in geostationary orbit, I wonder how
    much an issue it would really be. GEO positioning
    makes everything work very smoothly, but it is not
    strictly necessary. With the number of SPSes needed
    to provide a substantial fraction of Earth's power
    needs they would be so numerous in orbit that you
    could set up a system involving near continuous
    handoff of power beams among a very large number of
    non geostationary power sats.

  • Next message: Dan DeLong: "Re: Space Tourism (was Re: Orbiter shape.)"

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