"Mars by 1965, Saturn by 1970"
At a time when the U.S. was struggling to put a single man into orbit aboard a modified military rocket, Theodore Taylor and Freeman Dyson were developing plans for a manned voyage of exploration through much of the solar system. "Our motto was 'Mars by 1965, Saturn by 1970'", recalls Dyson.
Something about this seems like it came from a Bradbury story. Perhaps that's because the design is over forty years old. But some are calling for its return.
First off, let me just say that strapping oneself to a large cylinder filled with the creme de la creme of combustibles is a crazy thing to do, and, in light of recent events, a brave one if you are serious about advancing frontiers of science.
But strapping yourself to a large cylinder stuffed full of nuclear fissile pellets that are pooped out of the cylinder in one second increments to ignite a nuclear explosion behind you continuously is way more than crazy. Easy to find the test pilot though. Hint: Look for the most ballsy person on the face of the fuckin' earth. But, in the famous words of many humans before me, "it...just...might ...work".
Secondly, Freeman Dyson has smart kids.
Posted by:
samuelad on February 6, 2003 03:22 AM
Sitting on top of a nuclear bomb too much for you? Then try something a little more inert.
Posted by:
triko on February 6, 2003 08:28 AM
I love the Orion project, for its sheer audacity if nothing else. Never quite understood what we're supposed to make the base plate from, though. It would have to be something tough enough to withstand hundreds of nuclear explosions, shield the crew from the radiation, and yet still be light enough to launch from the earth by means of chemical rockets. The thing would have to be assembled in orbit, because there's no fucking way I (or indeed, most of the electorate) am agreeing to building one on Earth and then launching it by means of a few dozen atomic explosions! This very scenario was invisioned by authors Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle in the book Footfall. The launch was successful, but most of eastern Oregon was fused into radioactive glass as a result.
Among Dyson's other bright ideas was the Dyson Sphere. He believed it would be prudent to totally encase the sun in a giant sphere about the size of the orbit of Mars in order to capture 100% of the solar energy it puts out. His biggest selling point was that this would only require materials "equal to about the mass of Jupiter" to complete. Hell, I'm sold.
I'll just take the elevator, thank you.
Posted by:
samuelad on February 6, 2003 05:23 PM
Arthur C. Clarke is and Carl Sagan was a proponent of the space elevator.
Posted by:
triko on February 6, 2003 06:02 PM
Posted by:
triko on February 6, 2003 10:27 PM
Fuck eastern Oregon. Yeah. Fuck eastern Oregon.
Posted by:
triko on February 27, 2003 01:21 AM
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