For it to "Whip", it would have to break near the top and then we'd need to just sit here on our asses watching it fall. I have a little faith that someone with the knowledge to build something like a space elevator could implement a few simple safety protocols.
For example, if it breaks above the geosync point, all you have to do is either cut it at the geosync point, so that only the part below that falls, or better yet keep a booster parked at geosync to tow the bottom half away in the event of a break.
There is no reason for this to ever happen. It would need to break at the top to fall like this, and then magically stay in one piece and not burn up on reentry even at the tremendous speeds you predict, in order to do any damage at all.
And this doesn't take into account the simple things that could be implemented to prevent it falling in the first place. For example, there is no reason for more than the length to geosync orbit to fall. All you need to do if the cable is severed about that is cut it again on purpose at the geosync point, and then only the lower half falls. And the lower half falling isn't necessary either. Instead of cutting it, keep a booster rocket parked at geosync and in the event that the cable is severed above that, disconnect the bottom and launch the booster to drag the cable away. Or park a couple small climbers at geosync and you can send them scrambling down the cable to cut it strategically, leaving the pieces in orbit to be collected or cutting them off so as they approach reentry so they can burn up, and not "whip" around. There are endless ways to stop it from falling and doing any damage. All these damn "what if it falls" posts are talking about the destruction like we're going to see it start to fall and just sit there like fools waiting for it to land instead of doing something to stop it (which is technically much easier than building it in the first place).
The results of a space elevator falling is the loss of a space elevator, not much else. Maybe a few thousand miles of it would reach the ground, the rest would burn up on reentry. And the part that does reach the ground (even if the whole thing fell in one piece) would have a very low terminal velocity, remember this is a ribbon shaped cable that weighs maybe than.1kg/meter (probably less, but i haven't done the math). It would basically float gently to the ground. Unless there was a climber on it, then it would fall pretty damn quick and burn up on reentry.
Even if it fell in 1 piece, it would do almost no damage. Remember, the cable will most likely be ribbon shaped, and incredibly light, it's terminal velocity will be very slow and it's mass so little (per meter) that if it somehow was cut near the top so the entire thing fell, and wrapped around the earth twice without breaking, it would a) not hit much, considering it's only a meter or 2 wide, and b) just land gently (considering how high it's falling from) on top of whatever it did hit.
You missed the point too, the laptop ended up in this condition by him installing an unsupported OS on the drive. IBM has no obligation to fix this. He can fix it himself by putting the drive in another box and removing the freebsd partition, so the bios doesn't see it and think it's a suspend-to-disk image and lock up trying to access it.
Re:The BBC Planets Series
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Read the article. The whole point is that there could be enough heat from radioactive material in the CORE of triton for a subsurface liquid ocean to exist.
The nasa plan doesn't need a huge magnet. A much smaller magnet is used to create a field, which is then "inflated" with plasma. Don't ask me how that works, but supposedly injecting plasma into the field can stretch it out to a few kilometers across so that it acts as an almost zero mass solar sail.
And if this works, you have a communications device that can transmit through anything, even straight through the earth to the other side, without interferance. neet eh?
Yes but it's nasa who figures out how to get there, and more importantly how much it will cost. Nasa has to play the cards right for the decision makers to decide to OK the mission.
People who live in sterile environments develop more alergies and have weaker immune systems than people who's immune systems are kept active. It's been proven that people now have much worse alergies than they did 200 years ago, because people overuse medication and their immune systems never get the chance to build up immunities.
The 900000 mph was in relation to earth, and considering the entry point was near the south pole, there wouldn't be much of a difference in that 900000 if you neglected to take rotation into account.
Ants can get through fiberglass insulation too, insulation isn't supposed to keep animals and roots and things out.
Also, the little stones that are being collected at travelling thousands of miles per hour. If ants could travel that fast then you might have something to worry about!
I'm living and working in NJ now, 2 miles form manhattan, making 63k and paying $400/month in rent. THAT is why I'm still here. I'm close enough to the city that I get paid the big city salary, but not in the city paying city rent. It's a nice deal. =]
What you don't realize is how much different the cost of living is in different parts of the country. For what I pay for rent in my small apartment outside NYC I could rent a whole house and have enough left over to lease a car in other parts of the country. And my rent is cheap for this area.
Because the little 12" ball has no room for any kind of thrusters to navigate with. What they are trying to do is create a way to propel small probes like the one you discribe without any fuel or thrusters, just the sails. A well built prob like this could drive around the solar system indefinitly without needing to refuel.
Not necessarily. The term escape velocity is exactly the opposite of what you are saying. Escape velocity is the velocity an object needs relative to another to never fall back into it. The more gravitational attraction there is, the higher the velocity is needed to escape. This is why the amount of mass in the universe is so closely related to wether the universe will expand forever or collapse again. If there isn't enough mass, there won't be enough attraction to slow the expansion to a stop and reverse it.
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For it to "Whip", it would have to break near the top and then we'd need to just sit here on our asses watching it fall. I have a little faith that someone with the knowledge to build something like a space elevator could implement a few simple safety protocols.
For example, if it breaks above the geosync point, all you have to do is either cut it at the geosync point, so that only the part below that falls, or better yet keep a booster parked at geosync to tow the bottom half away in the event of a break.
There is no reason for this to ever happen. It would need to break at the top to fall like this, and then magically stay in one piece and not burn up on reentry even at the tremendous speeds you predict, in order to do any damage at all.
And this doesn't take into account the simple things that could be implemented to prevent it falling in the first place. For example, there is no reason for more than the length to geosync orbit to fall. All you need to do if the cable is severed about that is cut it again on purpose at the geosync point, and then only the lower half falls. And the lower half falling isn't necessary either. Instead of cutting it, keep a booster rocket parked at geosync and in the event that the cable is severed above that, disconnect the bottom and launch the booster to drag the cable away. Or park a couple small climbers at geosync and you can send them scrambling down the cable to cut it strategically, leaving the pieces in orbit to be collected or cutting them off so as they approach reentry so they can burn up, and not "whip" around. There are endless ways to stop it from falling and doing any damage. All these damn "what if it falls" posts are talking about the destruction like we're going to see it start to fall and just sit there like fools waiting for it to land instead of doing something to stop it (which is technically much easier than building it in the first place).
Please excuse the rambling, I am sleep deprived.
The results of a space elevator falling is the loss of a space elevator, not much else. Maybe a few thousand miles of it would reach the ground, the rest would burn up on reentry. And the part that does reach the ground (even if the whole thing fell in one piece) would have a very low terminal velocity, remember this is a ribbon shaped cable that weighs maybe than .1kg/meter (probably less, but i haven't done the math). It would basically float gently to the ground. Unless there was a climber on it, then it would fall pretty damn quick and burn up on reentry.
Even if it fell in 1 piece, it would do almost no damage. Remember, the cable will most likely be ribbon shaped, and incredibly light, it's terminal velocity will be very slow and it's mass so little (per meter) that if it somehow was cut near the top so the entire thing fell, and wrapped around the earth twice without breaking, it would a) not hit much, considering it's only a meter or 2 wide, and b) just land gently (considering how high it's falling from) on top of whatever it did hit.
You missed the point too, the laptop ended up in this condition by him installing an unsupported OS on the drive. IBM has no obligation to fix this. He can fix it himself by putting the drive in another box and removing the freebsd partition, so the bios doesn't see it and think it's a suspend-to-disk image and lock up trying to access it.
Read the article. The whole point is that there could be enough heat from radioactive material in the CORE of triton for a subsurface liquid ocean to exist.
Clouds fly, clouds are made of water, microbes live in water.
Any questions?
The nasa plan doesn't need a huge magnet. A much smaller magnet is used to create a field, which is then "inflated" with plasma. Don't ask me how that works, but supposedly injecting plasma into the field can stretch it out to a few kilometers across so that it acts as an almost zero mass solar sail.
Wouldn't you like them to decide WHAT it is before they declare it a moon and name it?
Yes but there has to be a limit to how far out they are tracking... With a 50 day orbit this thing has got to be farther out than the moon.
Why would something that you will likely never be forced to do and even more likely will never be possible to do scare you?
And if this works, you have a communications device that can transmit through anything, even straight through the earth to the other side, without interferance. neet eh?
Of all the things wrong with that post, you pick that one to point out? :)
It's not unclear wether or not he shot hap, it's unclear wether or not it was an accident.
Yes but it's nasa who figures out how to get there, and more importantly how much it will cost. Nasa has to play the cards right for the decision makers to decide to OK the mission.
People who live in sterile environments develop more alergies and have weaker immune systems than people who's immune systems are kept active. It's been proven that people now have much worse alergies than they did 200 years ago, because people overuse medication and their immune systems never get the chance to build up immunities.
The 900000 mph was in relation to earth, and considering the entry point was near the south pole, there wouldn't be much of a difference in that 900000 if you neglected to take rotation into account.
Which was phrased that way because most people don't know what a quadrillion is.
Ants can get through fiberglass insulation too, insulation isn't supposed to keep animals and roots and things out.
Also, the little stones that are being collected at travelling thousands of miles per hour. If ants could travel that fast then you might have something to worry about!
I'm living and working in NJ now, 2 miles form manhattan, making 63k and paying $400/month in rent. THAT is why I'm still here. I'm close enough to the city that I get paid the big city salary, but not in the city paying city rent. It's a nice deal. =]
What you don't realize is how much different the cost of living is in different parts of the country. For what I pay for rent in my small apartment outside NYC I could rent a whole house and have enough left over to lease a car in other parts of the country. And my rent is cheap for this area.
I remember seeing these, although I think a bit smaller, on a show called beyond 2000 at least 10 years ago.
Next thing you know billboard owners will be suing yahoo maps for giving directions that don't pass by their signs.
Because the little 12" ball has no room for any kind of thrusters to navigate with. What they are trying to do is create a way to propel small probes like the one you discribe without any fuel or thrusters, just the sails. A well built prob like this could drive around the solar system indefinitly without needing to refuel.
Not necessarily. The term escape velocity is exactly the opposite of what you are saying. Escape velocity is the velocity an object needs relative to another to never fall back into it. The more gravitational attraction there is, the higher the velocity is needed to escape. This is why the amount of mass in the universe is so closely related to wether the universe will expand forever or collapse again. If there isn't enough mass, there won't be enough attraction to slow the expansion to a stop and reverse it.