This is a variation on my idea for mining fuel from the solar wind. (see link). Set up a permanent space station near the sun which uses a magnetic scoop to selectively scoop up materials from the solar wind. These ionized particles are accellerated as a particle beam towards recieving stations throughout the solar system where the raw material is needed. Nobody would want such an energetic beam of particles being directed anywhere near the vicinity of the earth. Instead it could be shipped from one of these recieving stations a safe distance away. This particle beam may have to be continually refocused as it travels at sub-luminal speeds to the outer solar system. The recieving stations would serve a two-fold purpose of either passing along and refocusing the particle beam or collecting the particles for shipment elsewhere. The stations would exist at various orbits out from the sun, arranged in various configurations depending on where the material is most needed.
-- Anarch, Dec 13 2003

Mine the sun http://www.halfbake...ea/Mine_20the_20Sun
[Anarch, Oct 17 2004]

Although your initial receiving station may be positioned well away from the Earth, you are still relaying the beam "along" - to what, the Earth? And your alternative, "collecting the particles for shipment elsewhere" is meaningless without explanation.

This will only really be practical once we have frequent in-system space travel, and then you'll be lacing inner space with a mine-field of particle beams. So fishbone anyway.
-- DrCurry, Dec 13 2003


What Dr Curry Said.
Oh! and "I before E except after C"
-- gnomethang, Dec 13 2003


By "collecting for shipment elsewhere" I mean having manned or unmanned probes dock with the station to collect the raw material and ferry it back to earth.
-- Anarch, Dec 13 2003


//Oh! and "I before E except after C"//

If Einstein had followed that, he wouldn't have been able to spell his own name.
-- Overpanic, Dec 13 2003


Well, he was dyslectic.
-- FarmerJohn, Dec 13 2003


Good Point [Overpanic] but he *was* Austrian. Whilst he he had the opportunity to receive an award I know that he did not recieve anything.
-- gnomethang, Dec 13 2003


Anyone have any idea how powerful a particle beam it would take to beam say, a ton of ionized raw material?
-- Anarch, Dec 22 2003


Although this is a cool idea, it wont be possible in the foreseeable future. And once the technology and expenses become available, we will have found much better methods for utilizing energy. Theoretically it will work, but practically won't happen. I see the best alternative in the long run and foreseeable future to be biomass energy farming and fusion energy utilizing the moon's resource for Helium 3 (He3), a fusion fuel when fused with deuterium creates a new type of helium that has a lower attraction to its corresponding particles, thus the difference emits energy. Of course we will need to beat China to the moon again in order to successfully control this valuable resource in order to prevent a future space war. In about thirty years I think we will be well on the way to use fusion as a safe, and inexpensive energy oppurtunity.
-- empty89, Dec 28 2003


Hey, gnomethang! If I were you, I wouldn't be trying to be an spelling and punctuation teacher, seeing that you forgot to capitalize the "a" in and. This was on your annotation //Oh! and "I before E except after C"//. I also noticed that you forgot to leave a period at the end of your sentence. The period rule is usually considered more important than the ei/ie rule. So next time, don't be rude!
-- empty89, Dec 28 2003


point taken
-- gnomethang, Dec 28 2003



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