[extropy-chat] balloon stations at the edge of space

[Mike Lorrey]

Why even bother with helium? Hydrogen is better, and its now known that
the Hindenberg disaster was caused by static electricity igniting the
celluloid-based balloon laquer. Could go higher with Hydrogen, too...

--- Reason <reason at longevitymeme.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org
> > [mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org]On Behalf Of Adrian
> Tymes
> 
> > --- Reason <reason at longevitymeme.org> wrote:
> > > If it pans out, there's nothing stopping small
> > > self-organized groups from
> > > bringing up soil, plants, etc and putting entire
> > > cities thirty miles up over
> > > international waters, built one piece at a time.
> >
> > Except for the total mass these things can lift.  Put
> > too many colonists, their personal effects, and life
> > support for them on (or supported from) a balloon and
> > watch it fall.  Oh, and the helium resupply (helium,
> > being such a small atom and not needing to form
> > molecules, tends to slowly leak through almost any
> > surface; they mention the result of this deep in the
> > article) - helium is uncommon enough that the US was
> > able to hold it as a strategic resource in the early
> > 20th century, and it still needs to be mined today
> > (unconstrained atmospheric helium tending to float
> > away as it does).
> 
> Well, lots of balloon volume per colonist, of course. I imagine that
> materials science will stretch to vacuum balloons sometime in the
> coming
> decades, but I'm not up to the BOTE calculation to see what the
> size/cost
> ratios are like for building, supplying and long term use of helium
> balloons. (And ergo whether it can realistically be done without some
> order
> of magnitude breakthroughs in helium-obtaining and/or
> balloon-material
> technology parameters).
> 
> Reason
> Founder, Longevity Meme
> 
> _______________________________________________
> extropy-chat mailing list
> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
> http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo/extropy-chat


=====
Mike Lorrey
Chairman, Free Town Land Development
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                         -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=Sadomikeyism


	
		
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Domains – Claim yours for only $14.70/year
http://smallbusiness.promotions.yahoo.com/offer