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Message from discussion A Moon base is too far; an asteroid ship better alternative:)
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James Nicoll  
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 More options Mar 20 2005, 3:04 pm
Newsgroups: sci.space.tech
From: jdnic...@panix.com (James Nicoll)
Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 20:04:41 +0000 (UTC)
Local: Sun, Mar 20 2005 3:04 pm
Subject: Re: A Moon base is too far; an asteroid ship better alternative:)
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In article <Pine.LNX.4.44.0503181520210.26831-100...@uurth.com>,

Gene P. <alc...@uurth.com> wrote:

>I'm basically a skeptic of human nature though... I don't think there will
>ever be solar power satellites or really big solar mirror farms for the
>same basic reason:  

>The ability to focus a power beam at any distance is equivalent to a space
>weapon of incredible power.  No Government will ever allow it... unless
>there's been a major war and only one government has access to space.

>Building big Photovolatic arrays *might* be allowed though... as long as
>the facility it's attached to doesn't have a railgun.

        I've been thinking about this ever since I noticed that Dyson
Swarms + Phased Arrays + short wavelength beams = the ability to
evaporate Earth mass worlds in about a week anywhere in the visible
galaxy and the nearer galaxies (limited by orbital predictions). On
the one hand, it explains the Fermi Paradox but I think in the short
run, AU range beams aren't quite the centralizing force they appear
to be.

        Once the range is long enough, it gets hard to nail ships
that have some kind of on-board motive power. A large enough swarm
may be able to get close enough to destroy a pesty array. Some laser
designers are less robust that others: the X-Ray lasers that were
discussed last year have 100% reflective mirrors until they are
jostled by an atomic diameter or so, for example, after which heat
losses will make the mirrors turn into plasma somewhere between
"Uh" and "Oh". Kinetic Friendship Packages are one way to make this
happen.

        Arrays are big and will have huge, targetable radiators. Other
arrays can used a la MAD to limit antisocial applications of beams. In
this case, balkanization limits tyranny. If the Mercurial Power Company
and Harsh Overlords LLC starts talking about "natural monopolies", it
may be best to just open fire on their corporate HQ.

        Even with terawatt beams, it takes a surprisingly long time to
evaporate even small asteroids. Dig in and invest in _good_ mirrors.

                                                        James Nicoll

--
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/
http://www.marryanamerican.ca
http://www.livejournal.com/users/james_nicoll


 
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