... Unfortunately bringing an asteroid into GEO is a half dozen orders of magnitude more difficult than even building the T1000 SE. Besides, manufacturing an...
The whole point of this thread, was to consider if an Earth based SE was possible, with today's tech. It is a huge undertaking, but I believe possible. Findng...
... Space based manufacturing is not exactly today's tech. Nor is diverting asteroids, or MEMS based climbers. I am afraid we are stuck with the 60 GPa...
... How do you figure? And why does the asteroid have to be in GEO? Moving an asteroid can be done with (relatively) low-power systems (and some patience)....
... I believe we are closer to a MEMS based climber, than we are a 60GPa ribbon. Moving an asteroid to GTO (possibly with solar sails) is also something we...
... Perhaps. If so, the SE will have to be relegated back to the realm of science fiction. Not that a MEMS based climber would help solve the problem, at all. ...
... What size asteroid are we talking about? This one here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/951_Gaspra weighs in at 10^16 kg. Which orbit do you want it in? Any...
... Where did you get this idea? A delta-v of 2 km/s takes at least 2 MJ per kg, or 2*10^22 J for easy-to-reach 951 Gaspra. If you allow 100 years, you need to...
... If you are waiting for CNTs to be develop for ribbon materiel then an Earth base SE is indeed in the realm of Sci Fi (At least right now). If you consider...
Sorry that the below is a little long-winded, but I went into full-on geek mode. ... It sounds like a lot, and it is if you use artificial nuclear power plants...
... Also Solar Thermal Rocket (STR) might be considered. This would require the asteroid materiel to be ground up and used as feedstock for some type of solar...
... This could work. You need to be mindful that concentration of sunlight with mirrors is limited to 10,000-fold or so because of its poor collimation. I am...
For what it is worth is a list of some 3000 + NEO, with orbital information. If someone that knows something about orbital mechanics ( I don't), wants to help...
... velocities. ... I think what this means is that the absolute maximum temperature you can achieve using optically focussed sunlight is that of the sun's ...
... mirrors is ... am not ... I believe a more realistic option is the nuclear or modified RTPs using water (from the asteroid) as the working fluid. As long...
... systems (and some patience). ... Space.com <http://www.space.com/adastra/060209_adastra_mining.html> [emphasis added] "About 10% of Near-Earth Asteroids...
... Huh? As far as I can tell this does not at all talk about moving entire asteroids. Just "asteroidal resources", which I take to be minerals already...
... Oh, but you do care. If you want to accelerate one half of the asteroid by 2 km/s, you need to eject the other half at a relative velocity of 4 km/s. That...
I will catch a lot of negative feedback for this, but: I am beginning to suspect that you are shooting down a lot of the SE ideas, not that you don't believe...
... Justly so. Let me de-lurk to be the first to cry "foul"! ... Andreas's arguments (from my reading) have been entirely factual and science related...
... The boiling point of iron is 3134 K http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Fe/heat.html No kind of optics will improve the collimation of...
... I have not mentioned the Aerovator, and my only interest in this discussion is in supporting the SE by keeping discussion within rather generous bounds of...
... OK my comment was out of line. But I do get the feeling that when I stretch the possibilities, and introduce techs like robotic MEMS, coil guns, and the...
All modern rocket designs have a operating temps higher than the rated temp of the materiel that they are made from. By pumping the fuel thru the skin of the...
... All the plans for moving asteroids I've seen involve at least one factory using asteroid dirt feedstock, so it is hard for me to see how it would not be...
