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The "Skylon" name makes me very nervous for some reason :)

stcredzero 15y ago
They should install a visible red-light scanner in front that sweeps back and forth. EDIT: Seriously, if they can manage $1000/kg, someone calculated a launch cost target of $336/lb for the viability of solar power satellites. That's $740/kg, so they'd be within spitting distance of some truly disruptive capability.
- hugh3 15y ago
  That sounds rather optimistic, given that it's hard to even make solar cells pay for their own manufacturing cost when you stick 'em on Earth, let alone launch 'em into space. And there's not that much more sunlight in space.
  - stcredzero 15y ago
    This is pretty contextual. The market price for power in a 1st world industrialized nation does not apply everywhere in the world.
    - hugh3 15y ago
      Interesting. Where can we beam down power at a high price?
      - stcredzero 15y ago
        Remote military bases. Running those trucks with jerry-cans of diesel is expensive and sometimes perilous. A rectenna array for military purposes could be concealed in a specially constructed tent and be of much smaller dimensions than a solar photovoltaic array of similar power.
  - sorbus 15y ago
    In space, there's no interference from the atmosphere - no clouds, nothing blocking portions of the spectrum. You have constant sunlight whenever you're facing the sun. The difference between getting 12 hours of light unless it's cloudy and 24 hours of light is huge. Just that doubles the per-day output of a solar cell (you would have to get it into an orbit that keeps it facing the sun, but that's not especially hard).
    - stcredzero 15y ago
      you would have to get it into an orbit that keeps it facing the sun, but that's not especially hard From where we're sitting, it's daunting. But once there's power-producing and power-beaming infrastructure in orbit, then we can power tugs with plasma thrusters to transfer material from LEO to GEO.
drats 15y ago
The naming of this project should put you at ease then. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(satellite) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(satellite)

They should install a visible red-light scanner in front that sweeps back and forth. EDIT: Seriously, if they can manage $1000/kg, someone calculated a launch cost target of $336/lb for the viability of solar power satellites. That's $740/kg, so they'd be within spitting distance of some truly disruptive capability.

hugh3 15y ago
That sounds rather optimistic, given that it's hard to even make solar cells pay for their own manufacturing cost when you stick 'em on Earth, let alone launch 'em into space. And there's not that much more sunlight in space.
- stcredzero 15y ago
  This is pretty contextual. The market price for power in a 1st world industrialized nation does not apply everywhere in the world.
  - hugh3 15y ago
    Interesting. Where can we beam down power at a high price?
    - stcredzero 15y ago
      Remote military bases. Running those trucks with jerry-cans of diesel is expensive and sometimes perilous. A rectenna array for military purposes could be concealed in a specially constructed tent and be of much smaller dimensions than a solar photovoltaic array of similar power.
- sorbus 15y ago
  In space, there's no interference from the atmosphere - no clouds, nothing blocking portions of the spectrum. You have constant sunlight whenever you're facing the sun. The difference between getting 12 hours of light unless it's cloudy and 24 hours of light is huge. Just that doubles the per-day output of a solar cell (you would have to get it into an orbit that keeps it facing the sun, but that's not especially hard).
  - stcredzero 15y ago
    you would have to get it into an orbit that keeps it facing the sun, but that's not especially hard From where we're sitting, it's daunting. But once there's power-producing and power-beaming infrastructure in orbit, then we can power tugs with plasma thrusters to transfer material from LEO to GEO.

drats 15y ago

The naming of this project should put you at ease then. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(satellite) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(satellite)