Beanstalk vs Voltage

Well, the shuttle-based electrodynamic tether experiments were lots shorter
than a beanstalk would be, yet they seemed to generate enough power to melt the
tether in one experiment.... at least, that's the way I recall the Italian
project ending up... Even a small charge, if it could be stored up, say, in
some aerogel-derived supercapacitor bank... I wouldn't think it could be a
useful source foe everyday power needs, but perhaps as part of some
electromagnetic radiation shielding???.... just wondering out loud...

MSu1049321 wrote:
Well, the shuttle-based electrodynamic tether experiments were lots shorter
than a beanstalk would be, yet they seemed to generate enough power to melt the
tether in one experiment....

Two comments:

(1) The shuttle tether was moving with respect to the Earth's magnetic field.
The geostationary tether would not be.

(2) Why did you end that sentence with three extra periods?

Paul

"Paul F. Dietz" wrote ...
MSu1049321 wrote:
Well, the shuttle-based electrodynamic tether experiments were lots shorter
than a beanstalk would be, yet they seemed to generate enough power to melt the
tether in one experiment....

Two comments:

(1) The shuttle tether was moving with respect to the Earth's magnetic field.
The geostationary tether would not be.

The shuttle tether also had some prior damage, IIRC.

In article ,
Paul F. Dietz wrote:
MSu1049321 wrote:
Well, the shuttle-based electrodynamic tether experiments were lots shorter
than a beanstalk would be, yet they seemed to generate enough power to melt the
tether in one experiment....

Two comments:

(1) The shuttle tether was moving with respect to the Earth's magnetic field.
The geostationary tether would not be.

(2) Why did you end that sentence with three extra periods?


Because this is a space newsgroup and planets travel in ellipses?
--
"The keywords for tonight are Caution and Flammability."
JFK, _Bubba Ho Tep_

it's a periodic thing I do...;-)

Thanks for pointing out the obvious part I wasn't seeing: that the tether was
moving and the stalk would be fixed, regarding magnetic field lines...

Paul F. Dietz wrote:
The shuttle tether was moving with respect to the Earth's magnetic
field.
The geostationary tether would not be.

Careful. The Earth's magnetic field is not entirely
stationary. More precisely, the Earth's magnetosphere
is not stationary, so a conducting yet geostationary
cable would still have problems.

"Christopher M. Jones" :

Paul F. Dietz wrote:
The shuttle tether was moving with respect to the Earth's magnetic
field.
The geostationary tether would not be.

Careful. The Earth's magnetic field is not entirely
stationary. More precisely, the Earth's magnetosphere
is not stationary, so a conducting yet geostationary
cable would still have problems.

And the amount of flux movement compared to 7700+ meter per second of the
shuttle's tether is?

Earl Colby Pottinger


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