Re: Burning Cosmic Commons (was: ... Fermi's Paradox?)

Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
06 Mar 1999 23:24:58 +0100

Spike Jones <spike66@ibm.net> writes:

> Damien Broderick wrote:
>
> > No, not if you insist on blowing yourself into space on a swiftly depleted
> > column of hot gas. How about my favourite gadget, a Hyde Space Fountain?
> > Keep your power plant decently on the ground, and run up the virtual ladder
> > on electromagnetism. Room-temp superconductors would surely help.
>
> Damien, why do we need room temp superconductors? In space you
> have a vast expanse of 3 degrees Kelvin space in which to radiate away
> waste heat. Our current liquid nitrogen temp superconductors might be
> sufficient if we work out the other details. spike

Remember that space is also an excellent insulator, and that the launch system (where you really need the big coils) is on the ground.

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Anders Sandberg                                      Towards Ascension!
asa@nada.kth.se                            http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/
GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y