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Yesterday, I watched Bruno Vassel fly his glider in the Rocky Mountains for nearly 2 hours on Youtube. I hypothesize someday we will be able to extract energy f

Yesterday, I watched Bruno Vassel fly his glider in the Rocky Mountains for nearly 2 hours on Youtube. I hypothesize someday we will be able to extract energy from the Ether to power our own spaceships in a similar way to gliding. That's not to say we won't need to add our own energy to get somewhere specific!

losteric 10y ago
Well, our space crafts do "glide" on gravity.
- wlesieutre 10y ago
  Also see the Interplanetary Transport Network, a network of routes through the solar system that take the lowest energy paths, using Lagrange points to change direction. They aren't the fastest routes, but if you want to glide around the solar system this is where you travel. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interplanetary_Transport_Network https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interplanetary_Transport_Net...
  - WalterBright 10y ago
    I suspect one of the best ways to travel around the solar system is to find an asteroid with a very eccentric orbit. Land on the asteroid, and while it won't save energy, the asteroid will offer a radiation shield and raw materials to use on the journey. The asteroid can be slowly transformed into a "cruise ship" for the journey and subsequent ones.
    - _audakel 10y ago
      You could say that is what happened to earth.
jackhack 10y ago
How curious you mention Bruno Vassel... I watched a number of his videos this week (and yes, @ fullscreen HD 1080 video it is mesmerizing!!). My goal was preparation for taking a new R/C model plane out for a maiden flight (a 3 meter ASW28). My hope was to glean some slope soaring tips. While I learned a lot and it helped me with my soaring, let me just say, he is highly skilled and makes it all look very easy and relaxing. Soaring 100 miles without engine power is impressive. Doing so while literally feet away from a craggy mountain slope without freaking out, and taking the time to share some of the most beautiful scenery and sky one's ever likely to see with us is a real gift. The part where he does loops to entertain some boy scout troops hiking along a mountain was joyful.
joshvm 10y ago
Either this a really bizarre coincidence, or YouTube is promoting his videos. I too discovered his channel this week, it's surprisingly relaxing watching him mess around for hours. Especially if you've had any experience soaring, it's interesting to watch his technique and hear him talk through his thought process as he's flying. Helps that the thermals where he is are so good you can blast up to 13k feet from a 2k aerotow.

losteric 10y ago

Well, our space crafts do "glide" on gravity.

wlesieutre 10y ago
Also see the Interplanetary Transport Network, a network of routes through the solar system that take the lowest energy paths, using Lagrange points to change direction. They aren't the fastest routes, but if you want to glide around the solar system this is where you travel. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interplanetary_Transport_Network https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interplanetary_Transport_Net...
- WalterBright 10y ago
  I suspect one of the best ways to travel around the solar system is to find an asteroid with a very eccentric orbit. Land on the asteroid, and while it won't save energy, the asteroid will offer a radiation shield and raw materials to use on the journey. The asteroid can be slowly transformed into a "cruise ship" for the journey and subsequent ones.
  - _audakel 10y ago
    You could say that is what happened to earth.

jackhack 10y ago

How curious you mention Bruno Vassel... I watched a number of his videos this week (and yes, @ fullscreen HD 1080 video it is mesmerizing!!). My goal was preparation for taking a new R/C model plane out for a maiden flight (a 3 meter ASW28). My hope was to glean some slope soaring tips. While I learned a lot and it helped me with my soaring, let me just say, he is highly skilled and makes it all look very easy and relaxing. Soaring 100 miles without engine power is impressive. Doing so while literally feet away from a craggy mountain slope without freaking out, and taking the time to share some of the most beautiful scenery and sky one's ever likely to see with us is a real gift. The part where he does loops to entertain some boy scout troops hiking along a mountain was joyful.

joshvm 10y ago

Either this a really bizarre coincidence, or YouTube is promoting his videos. I too discovered his channel this week, it's surprisingly relaxing watching him mess around for hours. Especially if you've had any experience soaring, it's interesting to watch his technique and hear him talk through his thought process as he's flying. Helps that the thermals where he is are so good you can blast up to 13k feet from a 2k aerotow.