Instapundit pointed me to this piece at Defensetech.org on the possibilities for a space slingshot. Just plain cool, with lots of rabbit trail links to follow. Space elevators are the wave of the future, of course, and will make all of our lives easier in so many ways, but don't underestimate the usefulness of a good slingshot. There are manifold applications, from technological to military, and don't forget the personal advantages. I think we all could use a way to get payloads into space quickly and inexpensively, don't you? I've got some relatives on Mars that I would love to send a care package, but the shipping rates are just astronomical. Sorry. It's bad joke day here at the Meow. I'll try to control myself.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
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Wasn't the slingshot idea something that Robert Heinlein brought up in the book "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress?" The Corporate organization running the moon would send ships back to earth by slingshot and there was considerable discussion later in the book about how to create a slingshot from earth.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about how much Heinlein really knew about the physics, but he made it sould rather difficult to accomplish.
I'm sure someone will come up with a brilliant design that somehow involves the universal scientific miracle of Carbon Nanotubes. If Heinlein had known about them he probably wouldn't have seen any difficulty at all.
ReplyDeleteVery pretty design! Keep up the good work. Thanks.
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