It is somewhat about flight in a way.Imagine this, a huge metal ring (perhaps a monsterous manned ringed station) that circled the entire circumference of the Earth.If the mass was the same on all parts of the ring the force of gravity(or if you prefer the warping of space and time) would be the same at all points between the ring and Earth.It could be a Earthwide Orbiting Ringed Station (which would be huge of course).The Floating ring could be a few miles above the surface of the Earth (like a set of floating cities inside the ring) or the ring could be 200 miles above the surface (in space).
Normally to have an object float above the Earth it would have to achieve orbital velocities(about 5 miles per second) however with a ring around the entire earth the pull of gravity would be mostly the same on all sides hence the ring could travel at the same circular velocities as the Earth and remain afloat if you could call it that.
It's kind of a weird idea but it seems feasible.
I had this spontaneous idea from a dream last week
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Go to the library, and read this book:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringworld
(yes, this book was written in 1970)
Go to the library, and read this book:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringworld
(yes, this book was written in 1970)
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Construction would be immensely difficult and such a project would require worldwide economic support on a monsterous scale.I was thinking about how it could be constructed.Perhaps the diameter of the interior of the ring of the station could be perhaps 30 meters with it being built in 100 meter long segments at first on rollers on the ground around the circumference of the Earth.However the Earth is not perfectly round nor is the gravitational pull exactly the same on every point on the Earth.
To raise the ring perhaps a segment could be unbolted then stretched apart for another 100 meter segment to be put into place.I suppose raised sections of the ring could be supported initially by huge support towers.What would it be constructed out of Steel or Aluminum and how thick? I don't know.
Really it's just a hypothetical idea it doesn't mean that it is practical.
But such a worldwide ringed station would be a nice match for the so called space elevator.
To raise the ring perhaps a segment could be unbolted then stretched apart for another 100 meter segment to be put into place.I suppose raised sections of the ring could be supported initially by huge support towers.What would it be constructed out of Steel or Aluminum and how thick? I don't know.
Really it's just a hypothetical idea it doesn't mean that it is practical.
But such a worldwide ringed station would be a nice match for the so called space elevator.
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Interesting idea but for reasons already mentions probably not feasible.
OTOH space elavators may just be doable and there are already plans in development to make them a reality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator
http://www.liftport.com/
OTOH space elavators may just be doable and there are already plans in development to make them a reality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator
http://www.liftport.com/
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Not really that easy.
True you can build the segments in space and manouver them, but when you start putting sections into place within the field of gravity they are going to disalign and possibly be drawn back to the surface with unimaginable results.
You would almost have to have precission manovouring at the same time so that all parts meet where they're supposed to be in the whole assembly at the same time.
Being a big fan of Murphy's Law, I don't foresee that happening.
True you can build the segments in space and manouver them, but when you start putting sections into place within the field of gravity they are going to disalign and possibly be drawn back to the surface with unimaginable results.
You would almost have to have precission manovouring at the same time so that all parts meet where they're supposed to be in the whole assembly at the same time.
Being a big fan of Murphy's Law, I don't foresee that happening.
Snuffy
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