GeSp553

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Number: 553 Name: POWER + TRANSPORTATION

Address: J.E.D.CLINE1 Date: 880924

Approximate # of bytes: 3780

Number of Accesses: 31 Library: 3

Description:

A combination of little-known Earth-basedspace transportation conceptsis combined with a Solar Power Satelliteto provide a means of providing SPS solarpower to earth without a microwave beamand provides means of transportingimmense amounts of payload to GEO atvery low cost, and supplies its ownpower for transportation betweenEarth and space.

Keywords: Starbridge, Launchloop,transportation,electricity,SPS

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ELECTRICAL POWER + SPACE TRANSPORTATION

By J. E. D. Cline

There are several little-known space transportation system concepts in the literature, that are currently not receiving nearly enough attention here in the US. It is important to the near-future space program to give a serious look at these concepts...or a derivative of them...which have the potential for greatly accellerating the progress of a spacefaring society. And there is a potential for combining their unique power-handling abilities with an SPS so as to have an additional benifit of providing salable electrical power delivered to the Earth's surface without use of the objectionable microwave power beam.

Since our frontier is only 90 miles away, up, (on a highwayit would be only a couple of hours' drive) it would be wise to investigate such alternate Earth-to-space transportation concepts, like the vertical dynamically-supported Earthtower "STARBRIDGE", proposed by Ron Hyde, and the "LAUNCHLOOP" concept proposed by Keith Lofstrom. Their source of power would be electrical, and once such a megaproject is built, it would enable powering itself by a dedicated Solar Power Satellite, thus taking the burden off the Earth forthe energy to transfer payloads between Earth and space.

In principle it takes only a few cents' worth of electricity, about 16 KWHr, to lift a kilogram to geosynchronous orbit from the Earth's surface....in contrast to the thousands of dollars it costs using conventional transportation means such as the space shuttle. Indeed, electrical energy is inherently stored in such systems in immense amounts, and might be a way to actually supply power to Earth from Solar Power Satellites without using controversial microwave beams.

Electrical power from fossil fuels is used to lift and power-up the structure of such a transport system, then material for a prefab Solar Power Satellite is sent up on the system for installation at its geosynchronous orbitterminal; thereafter solar energy is used to support and run the transportation system and also to suppy electrical power to Earth's surface, put into the conventional power grid at the bottom end of the structure.

Power is transferred along the transportation structure in the form of the kinetic energy of a stream of extremely fast moving objects. Power is put into, and taken out of, the system by electrically accellerating or decellerating the stream of objects. The stream flows in an airless tube which is itself supported by electrical drag on the stream of ultrafast objects. Although still conceptual in nature, their potential for moving absultely enormous amounts of material and people from Earth into space in a short time at very low cost using somewhat elevator-like means, could totally change the way things are built in space.

These concepts suggest that a "highway" to space may be feasable using near-contemporary technology, supplying electrical power to Earth as a byproduct, and they need our serious attention SOON.

J. E. D. Cline (GEnie J.E.D.Cline1)

5632 Van Nuys Blvd. #110

Van Nuys, CA 91401

818/909-0143