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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
[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 the
California 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 daylong
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
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 lifeforms 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 nonverbal designsynthesizing 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 foamedsteel could be used for
lightweight fireproof housing construction, and the construction of energyabsorbing 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
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 dynamicallysupported earthtower 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 storedenergyfor 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 downtimes. 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 Etemenanki, the biblical "Towerof Babel" that also was "to build a
skyscraper 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 L5 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 bothEtamenanki 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 "L1". Can we tunnel through this hill fromthe lunar valley floor? A siphon
does that, energywise.
Here on Earth, we can siphon water through a rubber hose.Out there in space, siphonlike
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 tractorgenerators
carryingpayload mass, over to lift more payload mass up off theLunar surface via electrical
tractor motors. Spaceratedfiberglass is quite strong enough to carry the load if ithas a
tapering crosssection; glass is an abundant materialon the surface of the Moon, available on
site forconstruction of this "Mooncable". At the L1 balance point,in zerogee, 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
profitmaking enterprise.
The fourth concept is the use of a kinetic energy transfershuttle. In permanent eliptical orbit
around the EarthMoonpair, 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 off
thesurface and storing its energy by whirling around the mainmass. The whirling continues as
they go along thequasielliptical 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 orbitalvelocity spinning ringpair.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 ofcontrarotating parallel horizontal spinning
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 thenowlifeless parts of our solar system, and
taking 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 hereandnow actionoriented people, arethe "doers" 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
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