Scattering throughout the Solar System

I'm sorry Amuk, but a couple of Railguns built in Africa will not put the whole damned solar system into our grasp within 50 years. Lets see if we get cold fusion in 50 years, that'll make solar domination simple.

Once the first investment is made the cost to launch are minimual. You could fire payloads out one after another like shooting a machinegun. You could launch loads within minutes of each other. Re-entry vechiles are relitivly cheap compared to the cost of launches. And Yes properly done it would work or at least according to the auther of the book. You really need to read the book it answers most of the questions.

You launch from the equater because as someone else stated you take advantage of the Earths spin to gain speed to obtain escape velocity. Thats why we launch from Houston instead of Nome.

The discovery of ice on the Moons poles has even made it easier because the hydrogen and Helium 3?, I think, are the main things you need for enegry for the Guns. The asteroid belt provides more Ice and minerals for futher expansion.

I suggest everyone with any interest in the subject to read the book.

[Edited on 21-3-2004 by Amuk]

[Edited on 21-3-2004 by Amuk]

I'm assuming that you are referring to electromagnetic launching devices that set the ships onto rails, then move them really fast along the rails which gradually move upwards and then slope straight, shooting the object off into space.

The ones he described in the books were Tunnels, you would have pairs of them one launching and one catching, you collect the energy back on the one catching to help offset some of the energy used to launch.

Seems there are a lot of people with lots of money who want to see Africa unionized and strengthened. It makes sense, because the NWO would have a much easier time implementing itself if it knew it wouldn't have to babysit an entire third world continent.

Then this would be the way to go. With this in 50 years Africa would be THE world Super Power

Second Off, rail guns aren't things that the world is ready to just 'set up' and start making. They would be massively expensive to create. You would probably counter this by saying that that is where the 'third world > superpowers' bit comes in, but the thing is, they need starting cash, how do you get starting cash? Investors. How do you get investors? By marketing your product to rich people. Where are the rich people? Not in these countries, they remain dirt poor while the 'Free World' benefits.

This IMO is THE MAJOR draw back the rich countrys have a vested interest in NOT having the rail guns. The countrys that would benifet dont have the money, but as someone else pointed out maybe that is changing

This is what I think about the topic. I feel that one day we may be spread out in the solar system. In order to do so and have a very strong presence we must put alot of time into getting into Space and traveling sucessfully. I dont see one reason that The Government should bar people from going into space. If they think private enterprise is a bad idea they should think about the desicion to put weapons in space. If we were to mine the Moon for what it is worth it would slowly go the way of oil. If we make it into space we will surely destroy it and use up the usable material we find. Has anyone ever read Slaughter House V? Them Aliens blew up the Universe. Anways, I doubt we will be able to travel out of our solar system for awhile. The time it will take us to set up a good space presence may not be enough. The way the world is going we may get obliverated in the near future. I hope that we expand the human race to outer space. We are just in the begining. 2004 isnt much in the grand scheme of things.

I also see 2 major causes for the extinction of any intelligent life anywhere in the Universe: Nuclear Power and Asteroids. Any civilization would discover radio waves, microwaves and nuclear radiation. Maybe, intelligence in other parts of the Universe is not as beligerent as seen @ cinema Earth.

Done with the ramble.

ok, i've been thinking about that for a while. but wouldn't it be less costly to just build the ships in space?

just build small cheap ships for travel between the big ships and planets. yes, i know, Star Trek

Amuk, can't you make your replies in one post? You've added 5 different posts in what could have easily been said in one.

This isn't meant to rain on your parade, but rather explain why all these ideas are great stuff but not solutions to colonizing Mars or any other bodies in our solar system.

For starters, capturing CO2 laden asteroids (actualy I think you'd be looking for comets) would be extremely difficult. You'd not only have to track down enough of them but have to spend a HUGE amount of energy redirecting them to Mars. Even if this was easily done the CO2 they carry won't change Mars much. Right now the Martian Atmosphere is more than 95% CO2. And yet even on the warmest days in the warmest areas humans could only stand the temperature a few hours.

Mars is lighter than Earth and therefore has trouble hanging onto a think amosphere, bleeding most of the gases back into space.

Mars has only just over 2% atmospheeic nitrogen, a key component of all known plants, and therefore even given CO2 to breathe would have no nitrogen to consume.

Mar's core is either dead or almost dead and has very little magnetic field. Most life would be iradiated and killed on the surface if not shielded from radiation.

As for rail gun launches, you talk about launching humans in railguns. These would have to be some pretty big rail guns if they aren't going to liquify the passangers. You have to keep the G forces down while still reaching escape velocity. This is why rockets use stages of boosters to maintain a relativly constant acceleration while reaching escape velocity.

I hope one day humans do live on Mars. But for now we lack affordable technology and would have to rely on earth for supplies.

Having a few things in your favor is great, but you need to cover all your bases for sustained life. Its not enough to have water and shelter from heat. You also need air to breathe, food to eat, and protection from the enviroment, in this case low pressure and radiation.

Amuk, can't you make your replies in one post? You've added 5 different posts in what could have easily been said in one.

I was answering different questions from different people, its just easier for me that way. By the way it was FOUR posts not Five

With your permission I'm about to do it again

[Edited on 22-3-2004 by Amuk]

For starters, capturing CO2 laden asteroids (actualy I think you'd be looking for comets) would be extremely difficult. You'd not only have to track down enough of them but have to spend a HUGE amount of energy redirecting them to Mars. Even if this was easily done the CO2 they carry won't change Mars much. Right now the Martian Atmosphere is more than 95% CO2. And yet even on the warmest days in the warmest areas humans could only stand the temperature a few hours.

You would need a lot of energy but it is possible. To begain with you dont need to send them stright there all you have to do is nudge them enough to put them in a collision course. Mars like the Earth has dozens that pass close enough for this. While it is true that the Martian Atmosphere is mostly CO2 now it is very thin, I forget the pressure but it is just a fraction of earths. What you need to do is THICKEN the atmosphere, which if the authors math is correct you could with just a few of the right comets (you were right it was comets).


The nitrogin problem was solved in the book but I cannot remember how and the book is loaned out, but it was questionable about how soon if ever humans would be able to breath the air on Mars because to heat it up enough requires a LARGE amount of CO2 in the atmosphere Plants and animals could be gene altered, humans could too but in the book he sticks with plain old humans.

As for the rail guns yes we are talking about MILES long guns with the final lift provided by a laser pulse. I will try to find some links on-line for those interested.

Here is a link for those interested in the book

www3.sympatico.ca...