From: spike66 (spike66@attbi.com)
Date: Fri Feb 14 2003 - 11:08:34 MST
Chuck Kuecker wrote:
P.S.: Don't expect space colonies to be libertarian. This strikes me
as quite unlikely. They need to be well managed.
Space colonies would perhaps need to be totalitarian,
since any one individual has the power to slay the
entire colony by drilling a hole in the pressure
bulkhead and allowing the air to escape.
But this post is about skyhooks, just before I bug out.
Damien Broderick wrote:
> spike66 said as he set off on his hog:
>
>>A long thin
>>rod in orbit will tend to align itself pointed toward
>>the earth...
>
> If rods do in fact do that without p/rodding, presumably it's due to tidal
> drag or gravity field gradient... Damien Broderick
Thats right, gravity field gradient. Think of a long
thin rod as two rods attached end to end, with a closer
rod and a farther rod. The Earth attracts the closer
rod stronger, inverse square of the distance and all
that. If one imagines a long rod at 45 degrees from
vertical, a gravitational torque results that tends to
pull the rod to vertical.
Happy Valentines day extropians. {8-]
Later! spike
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