Neal Stephenson - Thinking Big

Starship Century is a symposium coordinated by the new Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination in collaboration with Gregory and James Benford, presenting ideas from their anthology of science and science fiction.

[@sethyo6503]

That's a great thought!

[@Dgfrmxon]

I understand why the aerofoils won't be a panacea, but I've been asking around about another idea - and not one has been able to intelligently respond to it one way or the other.
What if you get lift and stabilizing thrust from Ionocrafts? These would be powered by electrical wires (which are easier than pumping jet fuel). The power demands are very very high in normal atmosphere, because the ion density isn't high enough.
...but the ion density is greater at high altitudes. At the top of this tower, it is screamingly high, by orders of magnitude. Only problem is, no one I've talked to seems to can make any decent suggestions to do the calculation.

[@theunpossiblefile]

I keep thinking of the shell of a 3-D skyscraper being built 24/7 by itself in one of Gibson's books. That would mean that the material dispenser would have to build itself and the launch tower. L~O~L
AC and Stephen Baxter wrote about a sky hook space elevator with carbon nano light weight material around AI tech at around 2050.

[@klamator]

Awesome... 101 likes!!!

[@etbadaboum]

Boring a mountain seems interesting too.

[@willsirotak]

I can't help thinking that the issue of not getting a true explanation about the collapse of three WTC steel framed towers on 911, is the same obstacle which shut down forward momentum of the human space exploration program. The manual of steel construction & allowable stress design either applies, not just for future projects, or we remain stuck in a society ruled by Flat Earth superstition. There are plenty of resources available, both human intellectual & material. But insatiable monetary parasites clearly control Earth's resource allocation priorities. Central Bankers have very different priorities, under noahide law. Their system of religious superstition, includes a tower of Babel taboo, which they must uphold, if they're to remain in power over the human species on planet Earth.

[@Mike-pv3hg]

alien bottom left. run

[@wmjessemiller]

wonder what the revenue you could get from base jumpers....

[@TheReedsofEnki]

Imagine the benefits of Amazon deliveries in a radius around the tower, they can launch gliders that only need enough power to fly themselves back home. Hell, with a trebuchet at 20km you could deliver a 90kg projectile well over 300m away.