[ExI] Alternate to shrinking people

[Eugen Leitl]

On Thu, Mar 15, 2012 at 10:16:00PM -0600, Kelly Anderson wrote:
> Keith,
> 
>   Once you get the beamed energy lift vehicles working, is there any
> reason that half way up through the atmosphere (adjusted for optical
> density) a space based energy beam couldn't take over once you have
> enough energy being gathered in space? Would that make sense? Seems
> like it would to me.

Not helping you during bootstrap, which is the critical part.

Maglev track up Mt Chimborazo and then a solid state laser battery
tracking the ascending vehicle for several 100 km appears easiest.

Of course funding a 100 t maglev track at the equator is not easy,
even though the coast is near.