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"I long ago realized that I could reach far more people by writing something, than by walking down the street with a banner."
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How could you provide line-of-sight communication without having to put satellite facilities into orbit?
The story also calls it a "television plane."
A considerable amount of research is going into the idea of aircraft that could circle slowly (and indefinitely) at high altitude, providing line-of-sight communication services like cell phones, or for surveillance purposes.
The remarkable Helios aircraft created by NASA is shown below; solar-powered and remotely piloted, it succeeded in reaching a maximum altitude of 97,000 feet.
(NASA Helios aircraft) In the picture shown above, Helios is at 10,000 feet northwest of Kauai, Hawaii in August 2001. It is poking along at just 25 miles per hour. Helios is an ultralight flying wing with 14 electric motors, built by AeroVironment Inc. Helios' 247 foot wide wing is covered with solar cells. Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This | Additional
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Science Fiction
Timeline
Europa Clipper Plate Carries A Special Message
'...a universal cryptogram — yet it is one which can be interpreted by any intelligent creature on any planet in the Solar System!'
Micro-Robots Are Smallest, Fully Functional
'With a whir, the Scarab shot from the concealing shadows of the corner where it had hidden itself.'
AI Enhances Images Your Brain Sees
'I could have sworn the psychomat showed pictures almost as sharp and detailed as reality itself'
Illustrating Classic Heinlein With AI
'Stasis, cold sleep, hibernation, hypothermia, reduced metabolism, call it what you will - the logistics-medicine research teams had found a way to stack people like cordwood and use them when needed.'
Deflector Plasma Screen For Drones ala Star Wars
'If the enemy persists in attacking or even intensifies their power, the density of the plasma in space will suddenly increase, causing it to reflect most of the incoming energy like a mirror.'
DIY Robotic Hand Made After Loss Of Fingers
'I made them... with the fine work of the watchmaker...'
Can A Human Land A SpaceX Rocket On Its Tail?
'If she starts to roll sideways — blooey! The underjets only hold you up when they’re pointing down, you know.'
Robot Snakes No Longer Stopped By Stairs
'...she dropped her hands from the wheel, took the robot snake from his box.'
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