4 ms·

The surface of the earth is 510,082,000 sq. km. The oceans cover ~70.9% of that, so 510082000 * 0.709 * 0.00001 = 3616.48138 cubic km.?

maxerickson 9y ago
That's what I got. And then 1 cubic km of water is ~1 trillion kg.
- mcv 9y ago
  So rockets aren't going to work. Maybe instead of a space elevator, we need a space fountain. Pump water up until centrifugal force takes over. I bet it's going to be spectacular.
  - robin_reala 9y ago
    That already exists but with a different meaning: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_fountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_fountain
    - johnlorry 9y ago
      Interesting shape...
  - jacquesm 9y ago
    That won't work. You'll need to accelerate each individual molecule of water to orbital velocity or you'll just be making a lot of rain. Water molecules are not connected tension wise the same way a space elevators' tether is. Even ice has a tensile strength that is way too low so the fact that it is going to be below zero still won't help (might turn your rain into hail or snow though).
    - mcv 9y ago
      My comment was in jest, but if you want to take it seriously, it's not the tensile strength of water that matters, but that of the tube it's being pumped through. That would need to be the magically stronger than nanotubes material that we also need for a space elevator. If you make the tube narrow enough, you might even take advantage of capillary action in some way.
      - jacquesm 9y ago
        Ah, I imagined you were going to run a pipe up the side of a mountain and shoot it out at very high velocity. (Never mind that most of it would flash to steam instantly on escaping the nozzle, and that the whole thing would have to be ridiculously strong.) Fun project though!
      - striking 9y ago
        Instead of using the Hyperloop for transportation, let's point it at the sky and fire water from it.
        nealabq 9y ago
        Call it the Hyperloo. Say "have one on me!" with each flush.
    - hibbelig 9y ago
      What happens to water in vacuum?
      - LoSboccacc 9y ago
        boils than when the heat energy is lost collapse into comets, assuming no gravity wells near
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

maxerickson 9y ago

That's what I got. And then 1 cubic km of water is ~1 trillion kg.

mcv 9y ago
So rockets aren't going to work. Maybe instead of a space elevator, we need a space fountain. Pump water up until centrifugal force takes over. I bet it's going to be spectacular.
- robin_reala 9y ago
  That already exists but with a different meaning: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_fountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_fountain
  - johnlorry 9y ago
    Interesting shape...
- jacquesm 9y ago
  That won't work. You'll need to accelerate each individual molecule of water to orbital velocity or you'll just be making a lot of rain. Water molecules are not connected tension wise the same way a space elevators' tether is. Even ice has a tensile strength that is way too low so the fact that it is going to be below zero still won't help (might turn your rain into hail or snow though).
  - mcv 9y ago
    My comment was in jest, but if you want to take it seriously, it's not the tensile strength of water that matters, but that of the tube it's being pumped through. That would need to be the magically stronger than nanotubes material that we also need for a space elevator. If you make the tube narrow enough, you might even take advantage of capillary action in some way.
    - jacquesm 9y ago
      Ah, I imagined you were going to run a pipe up the side of a mountain and shoot it out at very high velocity. (Never mind that most of it would flash to steam instantly on escaping the nozzle, and that the whole thing would have to be ridiculously strong.) Fun project though!
    - striking 9y ago
      Instead of using the Hyperloop for transportation, let's point it at the sky and fire water from it.
      - nealabq 9y ago
        Call it the Hyperloo. Say "have one on me!" with each flush.
  - hibbelig 9y ago
    What happens to water in vacuum?
    - LoSboccacc 9y ago
      boils than when the heat energy is lost collapse into comets, assuming no gravity wells near

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]