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Several of the concepts discussed herein are parts of a highly efficient launch system. I was part of a conceptual design study back in the mid 80's - here's what we came up with: 1) A winged, ramjet powered first stage, with existing or to be developed 2nd/3rd stage vehicles on piggyback 2)...

You've convinced me!!! Please tell NASA to send me 1% of the "Hundreds of millions of dollars" in research money. I downloaded the NASA report "Space Elevators An Advanced Earth-Space Infrastructure for the New Millennium", "based on the findings from the Advanced Space Infrastructure...

I am fascinated by the Sirius system. Where can I get orbital elements for their satellites. By the way, the orbits are not figure 8's (God and Sir Isaac Newton say that is impossible). They are (I'm guessing) 24 hour (actually 23 56 min) period orbits with a selected inclination, apogee...

I would like to hear from engineers who have knowledge of projects that were technically unfeasible from the start but were promoted anyway (usually to keep the money rolling) and bad decisions that were made in the face of engineering analysis and recommendations. Examples of the first include...

Grayocean, Thanks for your comments. Some of your facts are correct, that rotational momentum is conserved, that the moment of inertia of an ice skater decreases with arms pulled in so rotational rate increases and vice versa. The c.g. of the bowling ball-golf ball system will be very close...

Grayocean, All you say is true. The problem is how to transfer angular momentum, in this case from the Earth, to the payload climbing the tether. Any structure that is 22,000 mile long will NOT support any bending moment which is what would be required for the structure to provide the angular...

To Timelord: You're correct - the angular velocity, w, of the mass "climbing" the "tether" remains constant, but the angular momentum is equal to mwr^2. Angular momentum of the mass increases as the square of the radius from the center of rotation. This increase in angular mometum must come...

Let's do a thought experiment. Let's say that we have invented a material, unobtanium (a commonly used engineering material) infinitely strong and zero density. We have made a structure/tether to geosynchronous orbit. Remeber that strength does not equate to stiffness, so a structure made out...

Mr. Worf, I am, and have been, a spacecraft dynamics and attitude control engineer for pushing thirty years. I have a Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering and an MSME. I have worked for three of the largest Space/Defense contractors as well as the Federal Government during my career in...

This is an interesting twist on the space elevator hoax. Let's look at the basic concept of conservation of momentum. (not to mention the energy needed to transport the geostationary factory and its raw materials to geo orbit) Orbital (or any other object's) angular momentum is equal to...

Are you kidding me?????? A rigid structure tall enough so that its center of gravity is at geosynchronous altitude???? Come on. As an engineer I am ashamed of having absurd concepts such as this attributed to my profession. Millions of dollars spent???? Billions on single stage to...

I'm afraid that the "serious investors" are involved with "serious scam artists" (my quotes). This orbital elevator, I assume, is the scheme I saw in OMNI magazine (that paragon of engineering accuracy and knowledge) a decade or so ago. It involved a cable loop, 44,000 miles in circumference...