Space Fountain!

[Reverse Transcriptase]

All the info I can find on the Space Fountain is just a re-hash of the wikipedia article. (Or visa versa?) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_fountain

In brief summary: The particle stream are magnetic pellets accelerated by the cyclotron. The Cyclotron is a coil/rail gun. The station has magnetic rings, similar to the cyclotron, except that they decelerate the pellets, absorbing their upwards velocity and letting them drop back to Earth. The absorbed momentum keeps the station afloat.

I'm trying to brainstorm applications for this, to justify the huge pricetag.
-Tourism (did someone say "Cloud City!!!"? I'll be your Lando...)

-'Spacediving' (like skydiving, but from even higher up. It might even qualify as base jumping. )

-Airport. If we made a station at 9km, we could make it so that airplanes would never have to leave descend from cruising altitude. Airplanes could be re-designed because they wouldn't have to deal with a lot of kinds of weather. Glider-planes would take the passengers down to the ground, and the elevator would lift them up.

-Because an airport would require multiple large runways, that might not be feasible. Which begs for a return in Zepplin travel! Zepplin-Port!

-Launching satallites and spacecraft (duh?)

-Acting as a permanent geosynchornous satallite without being in the Clarke orbit (which is 200km out, and always over the equator).

-A gigantic phallic symbol

 

[Kuu]

I'm trying to brainstorm applications for this, to justify the huge pricetag.

-Because an airport would require multiple large runways, that might not be feasible. Which begs for a return in Zepplin travel! Zepplin-Port!

-A gigantic phallic symbol

I'm sold.

Seriously, we should go back to rigid airships (a.k.a. zeppelins). Imagine seeing these silent, gargantuan metal whales of the air in their slow, magnificent flight of steampunk glory!

Spoiler

Although "rigid airship" is the proper formal term, these aircraft are often referred to in casual use by several other names such as dirigibles, zeppelins (after the most successful ships of this type built by the Zeppelin Company) or the big rigids.

tee hee

 

[Nicholas A. A. E.]

All the info I can find on the Space Fountain is just a re-hash of the wikipedia article. (Or visa versa?)

It is really common for intertubes to mirror wikipedia, just to have some content. 95% of the time, Wikipedia is the original source. And it's pretty easy to distinguish the 5%.

But yeah it sucks when Wikipedia is not enough but everyone is mirroring them so you can't find anything else.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

The capabilities of my skills so far have only been applied to designing and making a solar thermal power generator. I don't think I will be much help on this project. It sounds really fun though!! Can I be in charge of financing?

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

Can I be in charge of financing?

YES! Get us 20 billion by January 2010 or you're fired.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

YES! Get us 20 billion by January 2010 or you're fired.

That is a relief I thought you were going to something in the magnitude of trillions. To easy!

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

Bananaphallus, of INTP Forum, was the first to conceptualize the idea, anyone who says otherwise is clearly full of it.

Banana! Have you no shame?

 

[bananaphallus]

Just vandalized the shit out of the 'space fountain' Wiki page! Check it out! NICE!

 

[bananaphallus]

Banana! Have you no shame?

Sayeth t'wat!? I can't be held responsible for my actions! This is madness!