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: Re: Alternate Energy & Microwaves Message-ID: <565@hou2h.UUCP> Date: Wed, 8-Aug-84 14:23:20 EDT Article-I.D.: hou2h.565 Posted: Wed Aug 8 14:23:20 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 9-Aug-84 04:14:17 EDT Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ Lines: 22 <<>> > Microwaves have been proposed for power transmissions, but whenever I think > of microwaves carrying enough energy to actually be useful, I keep on seeing > all these birds, airliners, etc. flying through the beam and getting cooked. > > David Smith The proposed SunSat (SPS, whatever) uWave beams carry less energy (even in the center of the beam!) than full sunlight; their advantage is that they irradiate the rectenna (RECtifying anTENNA, as I recall) 24 hrs/day and are unblocked by clouds (I assume the xmission freq is tuned for a window in the H2O etc. absorption spectra). The real problem the originators had was whether the uWaves would effect the ionosphere (sp?). Subsequent testing (reported around 18 months ago?) showed no significant problems, although the details escape me. Anyone out there at Princeton/SSI (Space Studies Institute, i.e. G. K. O'Neill) to clarify this? (note: I'm not sure what the relationship between Princeton & the SSI is, and do NOT wish to imply any). art ihnp4!hou2h!ajw HO1B612 201/834-1142 (Earth)