buell%lsu.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa (08/01/84)
From: Duncan A. Buell <buell%lsu.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa> Volume 4, Issue 262 addresses "real" attempts to hang a skyhook from a satellite. This was the central theme of a science-fiction story I read a year or two ago, which I cannot now find. I cannot, of course (such is the nature of the universe), remember author or title. Anyone else remember it? The chief engineering problem of the story was the strength of the cable. They used some newfangled wonder fibre. Are people now really serious about this?
Peter.Su%CMU-CS-GANDALF@sri-unix.UUCP (08/02/84)
There have been numerous stories about this; one of the better-known and better-written is _The Fountains of Paradise_ by Arthur C Clarke, the first postulator of communications sattelites in geosynchronous orbit. It covers the designing and building of an "Orbital Tower", the main load-bearing cable of which is made of, I believe, a monomolecular carbon filament. Interesting subplots, such as the fact that the ideal location is located on top of Sri Kanda, the Sacred Mountain, location of an Oriental monastery... Very good book -- but then, what else does Clarke write? Deej dl02@cmu-cc-td --------
alle@ihuxb.UUCP (Allen England) (08/04/84)
> Volume 4, Issue 262 addresses "real" attempts to hang a skyhook from > a satellite. This was the central theme of a science-fiction story > I read a year or two ago, which I cannot now find. I cannot, of course > (such is the nature of the universe), remember author or title. > Anyone else remember it? > The chief engineering problem of the story was the strength of the > cable. They used some newfangled wonder fibre. Are people now really > serious about this? The Novel was "The Fountains of Paradise" by Arthur C. Clarke. --> Allen <-- ihnp4!ihuxb!alle
mac@tesla.UUCP (Michael Mc Namara) (08/05/84)
The book refered to as including a space tether was based in Sri-Lanka;
Does that give you a hint?
Arthur C. Clarke....
Michael McNamara @ .!cornell!tesla!macix241@sdccs6.UUCP (08/07/84)
The chief 'engineering problem' was moving Ceylon south to the equator. John Testa UCSD Chem sdccs6!ix241
lmc@denelcor.UUCP (Lyle McElhaney) (08/11/84)
Another story featuring a strong cable holding together a pair of satellites is "The Descent of Anansi" by Larry Niven and Steve Barnes. -- Lyle McElhaney (hao,brl-bmd,nbires,csu-cs,scgvaxd)!denelcor!lmc
ix241@sdccs6.UUCP (ix241) (08/16/84)
Gah!! It is _The Descent of Anansi_ by Larry Niven and Steve Barnes!! Jerry Pournelle has several novels co-authored with Niven. I think another is going to be out later this year. John Testa UCSD Chem sdcsvax!sdccs6!ix241
dwp@inmet.UUCP (08/22/84)
There is a new(??) novel out that covers the "tethered satellite"
approach very well, it's "The Fall of Anansi", by Pournelle and
G-somebody. The plot was a shuttle carrying a load of wonder-fiber
from an L-5 factory is disabled by sabotage in low-earth orbit, and
they use the wonder-fiber and some snazzy physics to get down. More
than this is a spoiler.
David Pachura
{harpo,decvax!cca!ima,esquire,ihnp4}!inmet!dwp