[ExI] Mining the Sky SL Talk I gave today

[samantha]

The Avantguardian wrote:
> From: Mike Dougherty <msd001 at gmail.com>
> To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
> Sent: Fri, April 30, 2010 8:39:42 PM
> Subject: Re: [ExI] Mining the Sky SL Talk I gave today
>
>
>
>   
>> I thought our big problem was getting stuff out of earth's gravity well, not flinging stuff down into it.
>>
>> If you can gather enough mass together from outside earth, why not park and use it for a space elevator?  Then you'd just ferry the useful bits down the elevator to counter other useful (probably expensive) stuff going up to do more elaborate processing.  After you get enough useful mass parked, processed and upgraded for other cool uses wouldn't we be in a better position to launch new efforts directly from space?
>>
>> Hurling rocks at the ground (no matter how accurately) seems like a lot of inefficiency.
>>
>> Maybe I'm missing something; this is something like rocket science...
>>
>>     
>
> Being able to hurl rocks from space at the ground accurately is certain to get the undivided attention of the UN security council in a way normally reserved for nukes. Not that I am against it in principle, just that I am certain there would be greater challenges than just the technical aspects.
>   

We already sorta have this ability.  See Project Thor from the 60s for a 
simple but deadly lesser application.  Hooking some thrusters to a rock 
after despinning it and aiming reasonably well aren't that hard.  Of 
course reasonably well for something like this may be in a radius of 
miles where Thor was from very low orbiting satellites and the spears 
had tail fins and some primitive control structures.  So it isn't a 
terribly deadly weapon compared to nukes and a rather pricey way to get 
that much effect.  At least for now.  Now big mass drivers on the moon 
slinging well designed hunks of material along known trajectories (Moon 
is a Harsh Mistress) may be another story.  Dunno.  It is something to 
think about but the payoff and the need is much much greater than this 
danger.

- samantha

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