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NASA Abandons SimCIty Microwave Power Concept

TexasDex writes "Wired reports: The NASA Space Solar Power project--a method of collecting solar energy efficiently from space and beaming it down to earth--was canceled in early 2001 after enjoying intermittent attention from scientists. NASA officials cited a policy shift toward the International Space Station and the space shuttle program. But there is still hope for it yet. A conference this month in spain hopes to advance the cause, dispite the fact that there is no public funding available in the US for this project. Some even claim that microwave power is essential for farther explanation. Accordong to the folks at Maxis, Microwave power should be available around 2020, depending on which version of SimCity you play."

17 of 251 comments (clear)

  1. Not where I get my info... by Epistax · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sorry I don't get my info about the future from video games. I get them from flash-forwards in the Simpsons and occasionally Futurama.

  2. Another new power source required by Timesprout · · Score: 4, Funny

    Some even claim that microwave power is essential for farther explanation. Accordong to the folks at Maxis

    For a spelling and typo checker.

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
  3. Just the first step by madox · · Score: 2, Funny

    If some company actually does this, it will be the frst step towards making our own Dyson sphere :)

  4. Offensive! by bugmenot · · Score: 2, Funny
    A conference this month in spain hopes to advance the cause, dispite the fact that there is no public funding available in the US for this project.

    Spain should be capitalized. Only france does not require capitalization.

    --
    This account has been seized by the GNAA. That is all.
  5. Re:why F/france? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    > Is it because they tend to be too socialist to be capitalized?
    Nope, this is simply capitalized punishment.

  6. Re:Weapon Capability by tomhudson · · Score: 2, Funny
    Enough microwave power to sterilise a male successfully WILL be noticed - immediately
    No you won't. A decade ago, a guy climbed a transmitter tower to protest something-or-other. They tried to talk him down, but he stayed up there for most of the day.

    When he came down, they arrested him and told him that he was sterile, so I guess he qualifies for a sort of Darwin Award, since he eliminated himself from the gene pool through stupidity.

  7. Re:Microwave beam misalignment by timeOday · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...What if they cross the streams?

  8. I wonder how much microwave popcorn.. by thing2b · · Score: 2, Funny

    I wonder how much microwave popcorn that could have made

    --
    Webmaster of Infoweb
  9. Re:Other tech predicted in games? by Jonathan · · Score: 4, Funny

    Apart from SF movies, books and tv shows, can anyone suggest other technology predicted by video/computer games that we might actually see in the near future?

    Arkanoid. In fact, I bet that metallic balls falling on modern spacecraft would bounce even using today's technology

  10. SimCity? by NTiOzymandias · · Score: 4, Funny

    A tip for NASA:

    Shift-F-U-N-D

  11. Re:Outstanding idea. . . and will never happen. . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    Those people go ape about ANYTHING.


    Indeed! Many of them had a case of 'holy shit, we have to outlaw this stuff' about this:
    Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division

    After all, its corrosive properties with respect to metal, inhalation danger, and the fact that it's a component of acid rain should tell you something.
  12. Re:No weapon Re:Weapon Capability by dmaxwell · · Score: 2, Funny

    The beam power might be 9 GW, but the energy density would be about the same as a cell phone gives out. The idea is that you create a big aerial called a rectenna that covers whole square kilometers and collect the dilute energy.

    Begin Mi-agi voice:

    Focus Danu-san Focus

  13. Re:No weapon Re:Weapon Capability by cms108 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "..big aerial called a rectenna"

    am i the only one who thought of cartman standing in a field?

  14. AC by mnemonic_ · · Score: 2, Funny

    Alpha Centauri has tons of them (artificial spider silk, monopole magnets etc.).

  15. Re:Outstanding idea. . . and will never happen. . by danielobvt · · Score: 2, Funny

    Enviromentalist extremists are best left unheard and/or shot at.
    I want to place my vote for the latter, as from my POV these people will not be happy until humanity dies off as a race, and I would like to volunteer them to be first in line.

  16. Re:Misaglignment is a big problem by Scaba · · Score: 2, Funny

    Maybe you could harvest some of that solar energy to power an industrial-strength spellchecker to run your postings through.

  17. Re:Misaglignment is a big problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I think we've finally found a use for all these tin-foil hats...