Clarke Stations and mercurian mass-drivers: energy for large-scale transportation systems
Abstract
Three-week voyages across 1 AU could be made in large sailing craft propelled by microwaves generated at power stations operating at 0.1 AU from the sun. The power stations could be built of mercurian materials launched by mass driver to building sites in solar orbit. A Clarke Station 28 km in radius could generate 64 TW of microwaves and support the operation of a 1000-tonne, 1000-passenger vessel. The ability to build near-sun power stations of mercurian materials would not only support high-speed transport but solar system development in general.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 5837151
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-85-1128; CONF-8505136-1
ON: DE85009607
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- Resource Type:
- Conference
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Conference on space manufacturing, Princeton, NJ, USA, 8 May 1985
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 42 ENGINEERING; MICROWAVE RADIATION; RADIATION PRESSURE; SPACE TRANSPORT; COST; SPACE VEHICLES; PROPULSION; FEASIBILITY STUDIES; MICROWAVE AMPLIFIERS; SAILS; AMPLIFIERS; ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION; ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT; MICROWAVE EQUIPMENT; RADIATIONS; TRANSPORT; VEHICLES; 420100* - Engineering- General Engineering- (-1987)
Citation Formats
Jones, E M. Clarke Stations and mercurian mass-drivers: energy for large-scale transportation systems. United States: N. p., 1985.
Web.
Jones, E M. Clarke Stations and mercurian mass-drivers: energy for large-scale transportation systems. United States.
Jones, E M. 1985.
"Clarke Stations and mercurian mass-drivers: energy for large-scale transportation systems". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/5837151.
@article{osti_5837151,
title = {Clarke Stations and mercurian mass-drivers: energy for large-scale transportation systems},
author = {Jones, E M},
abstractNote = {Three-week voyages across 1 AU could be made in large sailing craft propelled by microwaves generated at power stations operating at 0.1 AU from the sun. The power stations could be built of mercurian materials launched by mass driver to building sites in solar orbit. A Clarke Station 28 km in radius could generate 64 TW of microwaves and support the operation of a 1000-tonne, 1000-passenger vessel. The ability to build near-sun power stations of mercurian materials would not only support high-speed transport but solar system development in general.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5837151},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985},
month = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985}
}
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