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2010-05-17
, 00:52
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Posts: 604 |
Thanked: 108 times |
Joined on Feb 2010
@ Phoenix, WA
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#102
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It's hard to explain without getting into an entire lesson on orbital mechanics.
A satellite experiences two forces, centripetal and gravitational.
When a satellite is in a circular orbit, these two forces precisely cancel out.
The elevator cable adds another force pulling down, in the same direction as gravity. Without balancing that force, the elevator will fall back to earth.
You have two options for increasing centripetal force to lift the elevator - either increase altitude or increase angular velocity.
Obviously you can't increase angular velocity or the cable will wrap itself up around the earth.
So you increase altitude.
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2010-05-17
, 01:46
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Posts: 609 |
Thanked: 243 times |
Joined on Jan 2010
@ Eastern USA
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#103
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The problem is we don't have the time, the human race is being overwhelmed by a tide of decadence and pollution, we urgently need a sane direction. When we were exploring the planet we had a direction. We know where everything is now and it gets increasingly boring.
The kids need a dream that is realizable, space will never be achieved, unless a far cheaper method of reaching orbital velocity and beyond is reached and soon.
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2010-05-17
, 05:11
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Posts: 3,159 |
Thanked: 2,023 times |
Joined on Feb 2008
@ Finland
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#104
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2010-05-17
, 17:42
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Posts: 113 |
Thanked: 8 times |
Joined on Mar 2010
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#105
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2010-05-17
, 21:07
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Posts: 92 |
Thanked: 13 times |
Joined on Nov 2009
@ leicester UK
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#106
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2010-05-17
, 23:55
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Posts: 92 |
Thanked: 13 times |
Joined on Nov 2009
@ leicester UK
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#107
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2010-05-18
, 20:09
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Posts: 113 |
Thanked: 8 times |
Joined on Mar 2010
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#108
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We haven't gone back, because of who runs human culture.
We most certainly do have the ability.
Since the 2nd world war, the amount of design skills, materials, titanium, steel, precious metals all kinds of stuff and all kinds of motivations to efficiently kill other human beings.
Had have been employed in the task of terraforming the moon, instead of the minor killing sprees we keep indulging in, I have little doubt there would be millions of people living up there by now.
All you have to do, is ask who runs the Media?
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2010-05-18
, 20:20
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Posts: 1,400 |
Thanked: 3,751 times |
Joined on Sep 2009
@ Arctic cold of northern .fi
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#109
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The big difference between us and other animals, is other animals very much in the main, are adapted the environment.
We take the environment and adapt it to us, so it could be said we have evolved the ability to adapt the environment to us, which is why we are despeciating the planet by evolving it to our needs.
If we take life to the moon and beyond, how will we be ruining these at the present, totally lifeless environments, unless of course you think life itself a pollution?
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2010-05-18
, 20:39
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Posts: 3,159 |
Thanked: 2,023 times |
Joined on Feb 2008
@ Finland
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#110
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We haven't gone back, because of who runs human culture.
We most certainly do have the ability.
Since the 2nd world war, the amount of design skills, materials, titanium, steel, precious metals all kinds of stuff and all kinds of motivations to efficiently kill other human beings.
Had have been employed in the task of terraforming the moon, instead of the minor killing sprees we keep indulging in, I have little doubt there would be millions of people living up there by now.
All you have to do, is ask who runs the Media?
A satellite experiences two forces, centrifugal and gravitational.
When a satellite is in a circular orbit, these two forces precisely cancel out.
The elevator cable adds another force pulling down, in the same direction as gravity. Without balancing that force, the elevator will fall back to earth.
You have two options for increasing centrifugal force to lift the elevator - either increase altitude or increase angular velocity.
Obviously you can't increase angular velocity or the cable will wrap itself up around the earth.
So you increase altitude.
(this is over-simplified as centrifugal force isn't real, but it illustrates my point)
Last edited by Flynx; 2010-05-20 at 07:24.