[ExI] Inflatable tower could climb to the edge of space

[spike]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org 
> [mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of 
> Damien Broderick
> Sent: Friday, June 12, 2009 12:38 PM
> To: ExI chat list
> Subject: Re: [ExI] Inflatable tower could climb to the edge of space
> 
> At 12:09 PM 6/12/2009 -0700, Spike wrote:
> 
> >After looking at the amount of steel necessary, I am 
> inclined to agree this notion is a long shot.
> 
> Your model seems to have the modules tightly jammed together. 
> Can't you use some sort of much less massive gappy Fuller 
> geodesic structure? A sort of giant sponge?
> 
> Damien Broderick


Ja, the problem with an open foam structure is that the stress is too
difficult to analyse everywhere.  We need to optimize the disign so that all
the material is stressed about the same everywhere.

Regarding an open Fuller design (to allow the wind to blow thru the
structure) has some promise, if the intention is to make a support structure
for a linear launcher.

spike