[ExI] StratoSolar

[Mike Dougherty]

On Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 7:06 PM, Damien Broderick <thespike at satx.rr.com> wrote:
> On 10/11/2010 5:50 PM, Keith Henson wrote:
>>>
>>> >  Interesting idea, although it does seem pretty
>>> > brittle/fragile/breakable
>>> >  under simple assault.
>>
>> It's 30 meters in diameter and made of the same kind of plastic on the
>> outside as the roof at the Denver Airport.  The current design has 93
>> square inches of steel wire in it.  A fighter jet would ruin it (and
>> the jet) but it is not fragile.
>
> I was thinking of a ground-launched missile.

Seriously?  How many existing power production facilities regularly
take missile strikes?

Of course there's 'terrorism' as a big picture problem.  Usually men
with guns are enough to stop the dumber terrorists.  I think men (and
women) with expensive technology take care of the smarter terrorists.

After they're in production long enough to bring the costs down,
Churches can fund purchases for impoverished nations to have clean
power the same way they fund wells for clean water.

Isn't ExI supposed to be a list full of optimists?  Or at least
realists who are relatively positive?  If you see problems, propose
solutions.