Comments on: How to Travel to Outer Space http://matadortrips.com/how-to-travel-to-outer-space Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:51:33 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: CAllenDoudna http://matadortrips.com/how-to-travel-to-outer-space/comment-page-1#comment-9003 CAllenDoudna Mon, 24 May 2010 15:50:25 +0000 http://matadortrips.com/?p=4135#comment-9003 Oops! The amospheres tankers would retrieve methane, amonia, and water from are the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn and the other gas giants. Also their moons, rings, and asteroids. Oops! The amospheres tankers would retrieve methane, amonia, and water from are the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn and the other gas giants. Also their moons, rings, and asteroids.

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]]> By: CAllenDoudna http://matadortrips.com/how-to-travel-to-outer-space/comment-page-1#comment-9002 CAllenDoudna Mon, 24 May 2010 15:43:27 +0000 http://matadortrips.com/?p=4135#comment-9002 Imagine a glass jar out in space. I'm not certain of the exact diameter, but it would be close to 50 kilometers (30 miles) in diameter and about 300 kilometers (180 miles) long. At about 50 kilometers to achieve Earth-normal gravity it would rotate once every 24 hours. On the inside slightly less than half the wall would becovered with dirt to form a curving valley (though gravitationally it would be flat). A little over half would be a window and with30 kilometers of atmosphere this would appear to be a blue sky. The sun would thus rise over the eastern edge of the valley at 0600 (6:00 am) travel across a very normal-looking daytime sky, and set over the western edge of the valley at 1000 (8:00 pm) as the back of the valley rotated to face the sun and the window rotated out to face the stars for a normal-looking nighttime sky. There would be 14 hours of daylight and10 hours of night. The area of the valley would be somewhat larger than New Jersey or Israel/Palestine. Every 50 kilometers the valley would be divided by a hollow mountain range one kilometer high going from one side of the valley to the other so we don't see everything all at once. Cities would be inside the mountains. As an alternative design, a series of 100 meter wide lagoons with 200 meters of atol would cross the valley from side to side all down its width and about every kilometer there would be a one-kilometer wide chanel running down the valley from end to end. However, these are only average measurments because in order to prevent us from seeing everything all at once and feeling like we're in an artificial environment with all the straight-line water chanels the lagoons and chanels would be in a series of S-shapped curves. There would be a bungalow every 100 meters along both sides each atol. If the planet Mercury were converted into such glass jars we would have a living area in the Solar System 100,000 times the size of Earth. Tankers swooping down into the atmospheres could retrieve amonia, methane, and water which we could break down to create water and a breathable atmosphere. Now imagine an artificial sun. Around this sun we place 40 or 50 of these jars perhaps 100 kilometers apart and in a circle around the artificial sun as wagons around a campfire. In front of this circle of wagons is a large sheet of aluminum foil. The light radiating equtorially from this artificial sun is the sunlight for the wagons. The light radiating forward is captured by the aluminum foil and acts like wind on the sail of a ship propelling the wagon train through intersteller space and the light radiating backward does the same. While such a wagon train could in theory reach the speed of light it would be very foolish to travel faster than about 1% of the speed of light because at 10% of the speed of light a small rock would strike with the explossive force of a nuclear explosion. It is also quite presumptious of us to assume there are not planets in intersteller space merely because we can't see them since there isd no sun to shine on them. It would be like assuming there are no rocks or shoals on the ocean to dash your ship to pieces on simply because they're underwater and you can't see them. There are probably five times as many solar systems orbiting around a Jupiter or Saturn as around a star--and we wouldn't want to slam into one of these, now would we? We would want to stop and pick up fresh supplies of ice and hydrocarbons and perhaps build twenty or thirty new wagon trains fot house a growing population. It will take centuries to get to the next star. For the first generation or two we will still be close enough to Earth that we can go to Grandmother's house on Earth for Thanksgiving and still send video mail for a couple of decades after that. By then, we won't know our cousins Back There and we won't miss seeing them at all. When we get to a new solar system who in their right mind would want to leave the jars to live on a planet where the gravity will be wrong, the day length wrong, and the sunlight wrong? And rather that require several thousand kilometers of rock from the surface to the planet's core to stand on we can have so much more room by merely using the meter or two we will need to make the jar out of so that a small rocky body like Mercury could yield a living area a hundred thousand times the size of Earth. Imagine a glass jar out in space. I’m not certain of the exact diameter, but it would be close to 50 kilometers (30 miles) in diameter and about 300 kilometers (180 miles) long. At about 50 kilometers to achieve Earth-normal gravity it would rotate once every 24 hours. On the inside slightly less than half the wall would becovered with dirt to form a curving valley (though gravitationally it would be flat). A little over half would be a window and with30 kilometers of atmosphere this would appear to be a blue sky. The sun would thus rise over the eastern edge of the valley at 0600 (6:00 am) travel across a very normal-looking daytime sky, and set over the western edge of the valley at 1000 (8:00 pm) as the back of the valley rotated to face the sun and the window rotated out to face the stars for a normal-looking nighttime sky. There would be 14 hours of daylight and10 hours of night.

The area of the valley would be somewhat larger than New Jersey or Israel/Palestine. Every 50 kilometers the valley would be divided by a hollow mountain range one kilometer high going from one side of the valley to the other so we don’t see everything all at once. Cities would be inside the mountains.

As an alternative design, a series of 100 meter wide lagoons with 200 meters of atol would cross the valley from side to side all down its width and about every kilometer there would be a one-kilometer wide chanel running down the valley from end to end. However, these are only average measurments because in order to prevent us from seeing everything all at once and feeling like we’re in an artificial environment with all the straight-line water chanels the lagoons and chanels would be in a series of S-shapped curves. There would be a bungalow every 100 meters along both sides each atol.

If the planet Mercury were converted into such glass jars we would have a living area in the Solar System 100,000 times the size of Earth. Tankers swooping down into the atmospheres could retrieve amonia, methane, and water which we could break down to create water and a breathable atmosphere.

Now imagine an artificial sun. Around this sun we place 40 or 50 of these jars perhaps 100 kilometers apart and in a circle around the artificial sun as wagons around a campfire. In front of this circle of wagons is a large sheet of aluminum foil. The light radiating equtorially from this artificial sun is the sunlight for the wagons. The light radiating forward is captured by the aluminum foil and acts like wind on the sail of a ship propelling the wagon train through intersteller space and the light radiating backward does the same.

While such a wagon train could in theory reach the speed of light it would be very foolish to travel faster than about 1% of the speed of light because at 10% of the speed of light a small rock would strike with the explossive force of a nuclear explosion. It is also quite presumptious of us to assume there are not planets in intersteller space merely because we can’t see them since there isd no sun to shine on them. It would be like assuming there are no rocks or shoals on the ocean to dash your ship to pieces on simply because they’re underwater and you can’t see them. There are probably five times as many solar systems orbiting around a Jupiter or Saturn as around a star–and we wouldn’t want to slam into one of these, now would we? We would want to stop and pick up fresh supplies of ice and hydrocarbons and perhaps build twenty or thirty new wagon trains fot house a growing population.

It will take centuries to get to the next star. For the first generation or two we will still be close enough to Earth that we can go to Grandmother’s house on Earth for Thanksgiving and still send video mail for a couple of decades after that. By then, we won’t know our cousins Back There and we won’t miss seeing them at all. When we get to a new solar system who in their right mind would want to leave the jars to live on a planet where the gravity will be wrong, the day length wrong, and the sunlight wrong? And rather that require several thousand kilometers of rock from the surface to the planet’s core to stand on we can have so much more room by merely using the meter or two we will need to make the jar out of so that a small rocky body like Mercury could yield a living area a hundred thousand times the size of Earth.

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]]> By: Hal Amen http://matadortrips.com/how-to-travel-to-outer-space/comment-page-1#comment-4791 Hal Amen Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:23:00 +0000 http://matadortrips.com/?p=4135#comment-4791 Not at all--just a sci-fi nerd. You? Not at all–just a sci-fi nerd.

You?

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]]> By: Turner http://matadortrips.com/how-to-travel-to-outer-space/comment-page-1#comment-4790 Turner Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:21:22 +0000 http://matadortrips.com/?p=4135#comment-4790 Especially like the last section. Circumlunar missions may be first down the line to get major media attention, but mark my words: the first spacecraft to reach Mars will be privately funded, not a NASA undertaking. Hal, did you study this in college? Especially like the last section. Circumlunar missions may be first down the line to get major media attention, but mark my words: the first spacecraft to reach Mars will be privately funded, not a NASA undertaking.

Hal, did you study this in college?

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]]> By: Hal Amen http://matadortrips.com/how-to-travel-to-outer-space/comment-page-1#comment-4785 Hal Amen Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:01:10 +0000 http://matadortrips.com/?p=4135#comment-4785 Indeed, Mike! I wonder how he can afford such sweet camera equip ;) Indeed, Mike! I wonder how he can afford such sweet camera equip ;)

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]]> By: Hal Amen http://matadortrips.com/how-to-travel-to-outer-space/comment-page-1#comment-4784 Hal Amen Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:59:31 +0000 http://matadortrips.com/?p=4135#comment-4784 That's a great point, Alouise. I doubt anyone's begun considering the environmental impact of this, as large-scale stuff is still in the planning stages. Space elevator, anyone? That’s a great point, Alouise. I doubt anyone’s begun considering the environmental impact of this, as large-scale stuff is still in the planning stages.

Space elevator, anyone?

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]]> By: Ryukyu Mike http://matadortrips.com/how-to-travel-to-outer-space/comment-page-1#comment-4783 Ryukyu Mike Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:53:22 +0000 http://matadortrips.com/?p=4135#comment-4783 It'd be really cool if they hurry up and get the prices low enough so we can go pollute other planets before this one's all used up. Wonder if they'll have smoking and no smoking flights? Great article, Hal and that ARMY dude shoots some awesome photos! It’d be really cool if they hurry up and get the prices low enough so we can go pollute other planets before this one’s all used up. Wonder if they’ll have smoking and no smoking flights?
Great article, Hal and that ARMY dude shoots some awesome photos!

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]]> By: Carlo http://matadortrips.com/how-to-travel-to-outer-space/comment-page-1#comment-4779 Carlo Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:09:38 +0000 http://matadortrips.com/?p=4135#comment-4779 There's too much to see and do on this planet, I can't even contemplate a trip to space! Great and fascinating article Hal, awesome execution. There’s too much to see and do on this planet, I can’t even contemplate a trip to space!

Great and fascinating article Hal, awesome execution.

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]]> By: joshua johnson http://matadortrips.com/how-to-travel-to-outer-space/comment-page-1#comment-4776 joshua johnson Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:21:11 +0000 http://matadortrips.com/?p=4135#comment-4776 This article had be 13 again. Seriously, just as I had given up my life as relatively space-less you have given me hope. Cool idea Hal. This article had be 13 again. Seriously, just as I had given up my life as relatively space-less you have given me hope. Cool idea Hal.

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]]> By: Alouise http://matadortrips.com/how-to-travel-to-outer-space/comment-page-1#comment-4775 Alouise Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:16:38 +0000 http://matadortrips.com/?p=4135#comment-4775 When I was in grade 5 my elementary school participated in this thing called Marsville. And I remember everyone talking about how in 2015 there'll be people traveling to Mars, and we'd be living there. Hmm guess we were watching too many episodes of The Jetsons and Star Trek. I think space travel would be really neat, but it's too expensive for the average person. Even a 5 day GAP Adventure trip to the end of the earth is $32000 Canadian (you get to see the endless black of space on on side and the curvature of the earth on the other according to the online brochure). Plus not to mention the environmental impact a flight into space would have. How many trees would you have to plant in order to offset that carbon footprint? When I was in grade 5 my elementary school participated in this thing called Marsville. And I remember everyone talking about how in 2015 there’ll be people traveling to Mars, and we’d be living there. Hmm guess we were watching too many episodes of The Jetsons and Star Trek. I think space travel would be really neat, but it’s too expensive for the average person. Even a 5 day GAP Adventure trip to the end of the earth is $32000 Canadian (you get to see the endless black of space on on side and the curvature of the earth on the other according to the online brochure). Plus not to mention the environmental impact a flight into space would have. How many trees would you have to plant in order to offset that carbon footprint?

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