Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83 based; site hou2h.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!hou2h!ajw From: ajw@hou2h.UUCP (A.WIENERS) Newsgroups: net.followup Subject: Alternate Energy & uWaves Message-ID: <586@hou2h.UUCP> Date: Tue, 14-Aug-84 16:25:32 EDT Article-I.D.: hou2h.586 Posted: Tue Aug 14 16:25:32 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 15-Aug-84 01:24:21 EDT Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ Lines: 55 <<>> >Ed Nather... >The sun shines 24 hours/day everywhere, not just out in space, but it may >be difficult to get a satellite far enough away from the earth so it never >passes through its shadow, particularly if it is in synchronous orbit, which >means it goes around once in 24 hours, and must therefore be at 25,000 miles >altitute. Clarke orbits generally have a 90-minute eclipse once a month, IF (notice preceding word) my memory serves correctly. >If the solar cells aren't there to convert the heat into electricity (i.e. >make some use of 15% of it) then it will *all* go into the earth's bioshphere >if it isn't reflected back into space. The "saved" 15% will presumably get >converted into work somewhere, which degrades into heat, which enters the >earth's biosphere. So where is the "waste?" um...where to start? solar constant 1 influx unit (IU - my unit for convienience) clarke insolation 1 IU ground insolation 0.16 IU (approx after atmos & night attenuation) clarke&ground efficiencies 15% (disregarding dust!) clarke generation .15 IU (waste heat -> space) ground generation .0225 IU, .1375 IU waste heat rectenna efficiency 70% (pessimisticly?) clarke biosphere waste heat = .03 IU, about 1/4 of ground solar. clarke delivered power = .1000 IU, .03/.1 = 30% waste/delivered ground delivered power = .0225 IU, .14/.02 = 700% waste/delivered>If the Sunsat is put up it will be bright enough to rival the full moon, >just from reflected light alone (the moon reflects ~8%, is bigger but is >*much* farther away, and the inverse-square law does a bit of good) ... >which means ground-based astronomy goes out of business, since most of the >interesting observations of quasars, distant galaxies, black hole candidates >and vibrating stellar corpses are confined to "dark time," when the moon is >nearly aligned with the sun and the night sky is dark. I'll have to punt this one; it's been discussed in the literature but I don't want to mangle the defense - anyone want it? Of course, we may well obsolete the ground telescopes by then anyway! >If all astronomers become shoe salesmen or zoologists then who will be >watching when the Klingons come? obsolete AI programs, most likely (yes you, rich & dick!) (see, I DO have a sense of humor!) a. wieners (art) ihnp4!hou2h!ajw HO1B612 201/834-1142