[ExI] Power satellites

[Stefano Vaj]

On Tue, Apr 28, 2009 at 4:33 AM, hkhenson <hkhenson at rogers.com> wrote:
> It would have to be structured carefully so at the end the customers were
> getting cheap power (and synthetic oil).

In fact, natural fossil and other chemical fuels and the possible
scarcity thereof are really not an issue when you have abundant, cheap
energy from another source. Not only because the latter can replace
the former for most purposes, but also because they can easily -
albeit obviously with energy-negative processes - synthesised in
arbitrary quantities.

The point on which I have increasing doubts is whether they are really
suited to carry a significant mass of matter out of deep gravity
wells.

In fact, were the earth more massive, it might even be impossible, if
I am not mistaken, to achieve escape velocity with chemical-reaction
rockets, given that any such fuel would not contain enough energy to
lift itself, let alone any useful payload and the necessary vehicle.
And even from planets of earth mass, the margin available for the
latter with which we have to work is very limited indeed, so that no
engineering magic can do more than working on decimals...

-- 
Stefano Vaj