Air Force: Space Hook!

[Gryphon the Pure]

As part of the air force, I would like to annex a space force as well. Right now we have little technology and knowledge about space travel, but we could learn a lot more by launching satellites. My proposition is that in order to increase the ease of doing so, we launch a 'Space Hook' to put satellites into high orbit using minimal resources.This 'space hook' will circle the planet in low orbit over Shireroth, with a long arm rotating around its center of mass. this arm will have to be long enough to reach down to the surface, but still have little mass, in order to stay in orbit. The hook would make a pass at a specific location every few days, and we could attach satellites to the end, and the momentum would carry them up, and fling them into high orbit.We would have to have a moving platform in order to keep the relative motion low when attatching satellites, and probably have a switch on the hook to let go at the top of the rotation, and give the satellite a little push.This is just a proposition right now, and I don't know if I can get the resources, but I might try. Hopefully we can get this up someday.Long live the Kaiseress! Heil Apostrophe! "Some are destined for greatness, but others decide for themsleves."-Destiny, Angel of Light

[Kaiseress Viviantia I]

This seams a bit... risky.. the hook, if it got out of alignment could easily just...go around hitting things....... Why not a space elevator?I think we have a satelite still in order from JASO.. but if it is still up there it is in massive state of disrepair.... But, I authorize you to create a new space program... pick a nice good name... hehe Kaiseress Viviantia IKaiseress of ShirerothSAVE THE KIWI!

[Gryphon the Pure]

see, but if we put a gyroscope at the center of mass, and then attatched thrusters to that... keeping the arm rotating free of the gyroscope, like a wheel on a bike, then if it did move out of alignment, we would be able to correct it before the hook touched back down again. Also this would help keep the hook in space longer, as the gravitational force is greater nearer the core of the planet, so it would be pulled in slightly when it comes back in for touchdown... the thrusters could conceivably counter this force each time. we could also put a fuel line near the end of the hook so we could put fuel for the thrusters in when it touches down every few days... Heil Apostrophe! "Some are destined for greatness, but others decide for themsleves."-Destiny, Angel of Light

[Gryphon the Pure]

hehe, I took a look at JASO for the first time right after I wrote this, and I was pleased with the work they had done in the space department. the planning in that actually might help Lothlaria's transportation. If I were to attatch a giant wire to the space hook and ground it out into a power plant, we could theoretically generate enough power for Lothlaria to run the hover-car system on electromagnets, which is a whole lot cheaper and a whole lot less complicated. maybe I should go talk to them about this...As for starting a new space program, I thought of that as soon as I saw the date by the most recent update at JASO. Maybe I will. Hopefully I can find a cool acronym... Heil Apostrophe! "Some are destined for greatness, but others decide for themsleves."-Destiny, Angel of LightEdited by: Gryphon the Pure at: 6/26/02 8:51:06 pm

[Kaiseress Viviantia I]

Ahh... I know of what you speak... the umm.... ok.. forgot what it was called...But how long does the hook touch down for? Kaiseress Viviantia IKaiseress of ShirerothSAVE THE KIWI!

[Gryphon the Pure]

that depends on the length of the hook, and thus what the velocity of the satellites being launched would have to be to orbit at twice that distance from the surface, which I shall calculate later... hopefully for long enough to get the satellites connected to the hook and refuel the thrusters... i'll check on it... by the way, my new space program shall be named A.S.T.R.O., an acronym for AeroSpace Tactical Research Operations (or Organization, whichever I decide flows the best) hopefully I can get it up and running by the months end... Heil Apostrophe! "Some are destined for greatness, but others decide for themsleves."-Destiny, Angel of Light

[Kaiseress Viviantia I]

Works for me.. Kaiseress Viviantia IKaiseress of ShirerothSAVE THE KIWI!

[dStryker]

I'm not sure this will apply to space, but it sounds similar to a windmill. The problem with wind power generation is that there is a size limit on the blades of a windmill, which is why wind power (at least generated on land) won't be that large of a source of energy. The blades spin faster and faster the longer they get. This is quite dangerous, since it makes the windmill unstable. Plus, it creates a lot of noise.If the planet we're on happens to be the same as earth, it'd be pretty hard to have a space hook with a rotating arm. Aside from what I talked about above, the weight of the arm would be prohibitive. The arm would have to be hundreds or thousands of miles long (making it extremely heavy... millions of pounds) and be of a strong enough material that it won't break apart flying at such a high speed. We can use graphite materials (or buckyballs, if I remember correctly), but the cost would certainly be prohibitive.The main difference between this and a space elevator is that the arm (the elevator track) is moving. The mass of the arm would be in the millions of pounds, and I doubt it would be strong enough to both support its mass as well as keep itself together from the speed (it would have to deal with its mass as well as any weight that might result due to its speed).A space elevator is a lot easier, and we do have the technology to build one (although an earth-to-space geosynchronous space elevator isn't available yet, since we still don't have strong enough materials for it). It's just that it's really expensive.Note: I did not go over this post... I just sorta typed a bit here, typed a bit there, and tried to tie it all together.almost forgot: some info about space elevators and the like can be found here: members.aol.com/Nathan2go/SPELEV.HTM University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small. - Henry KissingerNever interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. - Napoleon BonaparteMost people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so. - Bertrand Russell

[Gryphon the Pure]

umm... that's why we would have the hook spinning really slowly, hence the few days between touchdowns...and as for the windmill, yes it spins faster the longer the blades are, but what matters in the windmill for generating power is not the speed of the blades, but the rotations per minute. and there are less rotations the longer the blades are, but the reason we don't use parasols for generators is that the strength of the parasol wouldn't be enough to spin a magnet in a coil... or vice-versa...also, the space hook would need to be almost to high orbit itself to hold its mass in orbit at a slow enough velocity to hover directly over the same spot, so we would be sending these satellites into extremely high orbit...note to self: read up on this stuff so I can know how to calculate it... Heil Apostrophe! "Some are destined for greatness, but others decide for themsleves."-Destiny, Angel of Light

[Kaiseress Viviantia I]

I like space elevators.. Kaiseress Viviantia IKaiseress of ShirerothSAVE THE KIWI!

[Gryphon the Pure]

umm... the space elevator has a completely different purpose... that's just to get them up into space. they still have to do their own propulsion to catch orbit. as for the hook that tosses them straight into orbit. Heil Apostrophe! "Some are destined for greatness, but others decide for themsleves."-Destiny, Angel of Light

[Kaiseress Viviantia I]

Accually a space elevator is ussually hooked/descending from an astroid or small moon in orbit... so... it would get them into orbit... once in orbit on the elevator you no longer need to worry bout escape velocity.. which is the big cost part of orbit... Kaiseress Viviantia IKaiseress of ShirerothSAVE THE KIWI!

[Gryphon the Pure]

that's a good philosophy, but that just wouldn't work. You need to be going faster the lower in orbit you are, and if the space elevator is descending from high orbit, then the closer to the surface the object is the slower it would be going. And also, the velocity for orbit also varies by the mass of the object, so even if we could somehow make a space elevator that moved faster closer to the surface, all the satellites would have to be of the exact same mass for it to work. which tosses out the possibility of putting both radar telescopes and shuttles on the same elevator.With the space hook, since the center of mass would be on a gyroscope, we could put a small motor in it to adjust the velocity of the hook according to the mass of the object we wish to put into orbit. Heil Apostrophe! "Some are destined for greatness, but others decide for themsleves."-Destiny, Angel of Light

[Kaiseress Viviantia I]

??? The elevator is in geosynch... so.... no moving problems....The mass of the astroid and such would have to be high enough that it would make the addition of moving things up and down... neglagible.. These things aren't small... The one in the Mars series could wrap around mars 1.5 times..... that's how big.....The space hook has alot of areas where it would.. well.. screw up.... if the orbit varies to much it crashes into the ground and rips itself apart... and well.. things get REALLY messy....And I think you want the word Theory .. Not Philosophy. Philosophy has no place in Science....(don't bother argueing... I have my reasons..) Kaiseress Viviantia IKaiseress of ShirerothSAVE THE KIWI!

[dStryker]

I finally have the math ready for this... I might make a reply tomorrow... University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small. - Henry KissingerNever interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. - Napoleon BonaparteMost people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so. - Bertrand Russell

[Kaiseress Viviantia I]

YEAH! Dstryker the local mathmatition! Kaiseress Viviantia IKaiseress of ShirerothSAVE THE KIWI!

[Gryphon the Pure]

I miss that title... Heil Apostrophe! "Some are destined for greatness, but others decide for themsleves."-Destiny, Angel of Light

[Kaiseress Viviantia I]

Was it ever a title? Kaiseress Viviantia IKaiseress of ShirerothSAVE THE KIWI!

[Gryphon the Pure]

well... if you're a freshman in calc... it becomes a title... Heil Apostrophe! "Some are destined for greatness, but others decide for themsleves."-Destiny, Angel of Light

[Kaiseress Viviantia I]

Quiet you! Kaiseress Viviantia IKaiseress of ShirerothSAVE THE KIWI!

[dStryker]

I probably could have been able to take calculus my sophomore year, if I had planned on wanting to...by the way, I seem to have lost admin? University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small. - Henry KissingerNever interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. - Napoleon BonaparteMost people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so. - Bertrand Russell

[Kaiseress Viviantia I]

New Security proceedures... I've removed all admins except those that need it.... IE.. Me... but you have moderator everywhere you should.. If not.. let me know... Kaiseress Viviantia IKaiseress of ShirerothSAVE THE KIWI!