genie spaceport 475 space inspiration

8/14/2019 Genie Spaceport 475 Space Inspiration

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Number: 475 Name: SPACE INSPIRATION

Address: J.E.D.CLINE1 Date: 880702

Approximate # of bytes: 11340

Number of Accesses: 41 Library: 3

Description:

Need for international cooperation in space. Five unusual forms of space transportation. Need

for whole brain thinking in space planning and operations.

Keywords: transportation,shuttle,Mooncable,Starbridge,synthesis

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[Background: This is my testimony given (by me, J. E. D. Cline) to the National Commission

on Space on future directions for the American space program, on November 14, 1985 at theCalifornia Academy of Science, Golden Gate Park, California. The testimony was well

received by the three Commissioners present, and by the audience, much to my surprise, me

being so very fearful of public speaking; but I had a very important message to give, I thought,

so I endured it.

Perhaps indicative of the energy of the times then and now, simultaneous with the day-long

series of testimonies being given to the NCS in the Museum's auditorium, was that in the hall

next door, Lucas was filming his space adventure spoof "Howard The Duck."]

The Testimony of James E D Cline before the National Commission on Space

In enthusiasm for the future of mankind, let's build and maintain an open door now for our


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future, into space and back. This can prepare a way to maintain a high civilization

advancement rate without destroying the ecology of Mother Earth that bore our physical

development up to this point and is now supporter and host to us.

There is urgency to creating a permanent open door between Earth and space. The rapid rate

of loss of high energy density fossil fuel resources could permanently close the door to space

for humanity, for example.

There are five types of interesting space transportation projects which I am going to briefly

bring to excite your imagination here. But first, I am going to point out some significant

sociological, psychological and material benefits of a massively expanded space program.

An initial benefit is that of greatly increasing productivity at home, and then spreading out

internationally, as people become inspired by the visions of new hope for mankind's future:

theirs and their children's children. As the basic task is for all humanity, and indeed for all

Earth life-forms ultimately to benifit, discoveries of new depths of international mutually-

respectful togetherness action toward common goals would be learned...hopefully in a wise

manner.

For example, the ancient oriental cultures can teach us to combine the types of thinking of

both our left and right brain hemispheres, linking the highly educated analytical left brain

hemisphere with the great non-verbal design-synthesizing prowess of the brain's right

hemisphere.

And then there is the hope for reasonably early return of large amounts of useful materials

processed in space so as not to pollute the Earth environment with industrial process wastes.

Made available to people here on Earth, materials like foamed-steel could be used for

lightweight fireproof housing construction, and the construction of energy-absorbing freeway

crash barriers.

Perhaps more subtle than the urge to ensure a maximum of life options for our children, is the

urge for adventurous stimulation of our dreams and actions. So here are a few space


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transportation projects which I would like now to bring up for your attention, perhaps with

some uniqueness.

The first is a combination of several contemporary concepts:to close the energy cycle for the

space shuttle main engines, its hydrogen and oxygen fuel would come from electrolyzed

seawater made through the use of energy beamed down from a dedicated prototype small

Solar Power Satellite in geosynchronous orbit. Another plus is that the microwave beam is

there for lift energy for experimental vehicles riding up, possibly using the air it initially passes

through as reaction mass for the early boost phase.

The second concept is someone else's: the dynamically-supported earth-tower proposed by

Ron Hyde of LRL. An immense transportation tower reaching from the surface of the Earth up

through the atmosphere and out into space, it overcomes the inadequate strength of existing

materials for such a structure through using stored-energyfor the main structural support.

Rather large amounts of electrical energy is used to accelerate vast quantities ofberylium

disks, whose energy is then used to support theelevator and structural components by

sharing a bit of theirenergy electrically as they whiz by. The system storesseveral days' worth

of supporting kinetic energy for theinevitable powerplant down-times. A large version of

this"Starbridge" elevator would be able to lift the mass of allhumanity out into space in a

matter of weeks (if there werea place built for all of us out there!) In caution, one isreminded

of the lesson of E-temen-an-ki, the biblical "Towerof Babel" that also was "to build askyscraper building sotall as to enable man to enter the heavens." It'sconstruction was said to

have been halted because theyfailed to learn how to truely communicate first. (Confoundit!).

Ron Hyde shared this concept at a L-5 meeting in 1983;the basic concept of a centrifugally-

supported Earth towerhad been proposed by K. Tsiolkovski in 1967. Ron Hyde'sproposal

would overcome the difficulty shared by bothE-tamen-an-ki and Tsiolokovski: there are no

known physicalmaterials nearly strong enough to do the job.

The third concept is based on an analogy of the "siphon",which is a device which lifts material

up over a barier anddown the other side, without addition of energy from theoutside, once

started. It is powered by the energydifferential existing between the starting point and

thedestination point, and works only in one direction. Thegravitational space directly between

the Moon and the Earthmight be envisioned as a gravitational hill with a shallowvalley on one

side (the Moon"s surface), and a deep valleyon the other side (the Earth's surface); the peak

of thehill is known as "L-1". Can we tunnel through this hill fromthe lunar valley floor? A siphon


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does that, energy-wise.

Here on Earth, we can siphon water through a rubber hose.Out there in space, siphon-like

action might be acheivableby transfering energy from mass on the downhill (earthside)part of

the trip, over to lift more material on the uphill(Lunarside) part. Electrical superconductor rails

could beinstalled on a supporting tensile structure fastened on thesurface of the Moon, and

electrically transfer the kineticenergy from decending electrical tractor-generators

carryingpayload mass, over to lift more payload mass up off theLunar surface via electrical

tractor motors. Space-ratedfiberglass is quite strong enough to carry the load if ithas a

tapering cross-section; glass is an abundant materialon the surface of the Moon, available on-

site forconstruction of this "Mooncable". At the L-1 balance point,in zero-gee, the main portion

of payload mass would be castinto glider shapes, so that after traversing the earthsidepart of

the cable, it can drop to glide the atmosphericportion of the trip to landing in oceans off

seaports onEarth. I proposed this confidentially to NASA early in 1972, describing it as a

profit-making enterprise.

The fourth concept is the use of a kinetic energy transfershuttle. In permanent eliptical orbit

around the Earth-Moonpair, and with its main part massive enough to stay "cool"inside even

in solar flares' radiation times, it dangles arope to graze the surface of the Moon as it passes

by thefar side of the Moon. Readied payload on the Lunar surfacegrabs the long dangling

rope (sometning like Hans Moravec'sSkyhook would have done on Earth), jerking it up offthesurface and storing its energy by whirling around the mainmass. The whirling continues as

they go along thequasi-elliptical orbit until it passes near the Earth, thenwith precisely

synchronized timing the payload is released,restoring the kinetic energy taken when lifting

was done atthe Moon. The transfer shuttle then continues on aroundEarth, and heads back

toward the Moon again. (Grab on at theMoon, whirl your energy until you jump off near the

Earth.)

The fifth and last concept I wish to point out now, toinspire fresh creative thought in space

transportationconcepts, might be called "tight orbiting" somewhatcryptically. We would need to

find the strength ofcontemporary materials is enough to enable construction of avacum-

enclosed, above orbital-velocity spinning ring-pair.Even at sea level (for example) each

element along itscircumference would be at 18,000 mph and thus in orbitthere, enclosed

inside a vacuum housing. Faster than18,000mph would possibly exert a force toward a

higherorbit, possibly lifting payload with it. A pair ofcontra-rotating parallel horizontal spinning


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rings, drivenand supported by appropriate magnetic fields, wouldhopefully cancel out the urge

to precess (my thinking getsuncomfortably fuzzy about here); otherwise it would have tobuilt

near an Earth pole to keep it from tilting itself asthe Earth rotates. Questions are: will it stay

together?Does faster mean that it will go up? How small can it bemade?

As a 17 year old boy, I and my cousin Howard tried to see ifa gyroscope could be spun up fast

enough so that itscircumference would reach orbital velocity at the Earth'ssurface. The

thought was more toward the idea of using it tofling a something off its edge up and out

toward space. Weused a big 3600 rpm electric motor and rigged up suitablebelt and pulley

ratios for the experiment. However, longbefore it got up to that speed, we discovered the limits

tothe strengths of materials, and with a bang the maingyroscope spinner exploded, vanishing

from sight. That thefragments missed both of us is memorably quite a relief tothis day.

There is danger in building the doors opening the future ofEarth lifeforms to space, but there

is adventure there too,to stimulate the human organism with delightful excitement!(Postscript:

Challenger and her crew's last adventure wentsour, and bitter was the excitement.)

This general concept of the space program is really aboutcaring for our civilization's

continuing advancement whilecaring for the needs of the other kinds of living creatureswith

which we share this earth. By bringing our life to thenow-lifeless parts of our solar system, andtaking theindustrial load off of Earth's ecology, we gain immenseresources of material energy

and room, and make a way tobegin the healing of the wounds of planet earth's

livingecosystem. Out there in space we can build our living spacejust as we choose it to be,

made out of extraterrestialmaterials.

Those of us who are here-and-now action-oriented people, arethe "do-ers" who can make

these visions physically real.One task we have is to find ways to prevent these ones of usfrom

becoming overwhelmed by visions of power strugglegames, with blaming finger ready to point

away fromthemselves. We can do this by continuing to help them remainaware of the greater

vision, of responsible belongingnessas part of creation, yet in adventure.

Our abilities to exert power over our environment and to analyze our activities are

tremendous. To these, then, we need to add equally powerful abilities to pattern whole


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designs of envisioned possibilities. Technological adventures can evoke designs of

exhuberantly happylifestyles for our children, and maybe even for ourselves...if we are quick

enough.

Thank you!

By James Edward David Cline

genie spaceport 475 space inspiration

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