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"I went [to the top of] Vehicle Assembly Building and looked down, and tears burst from my eyes. The size of this cathedral where the Rockets take off to go to the moon is so amazing."
- Ray Bradbury
 |
| Near-Space Solar Energy Collectors | ||
| Generating power from solar radiation closer to the source. |
This is a very early reference to this idea, the first that I know about.
| The Symbiotics... armed with their highly developed physical sciences and with sub-atomic power, they were able to construct, out in space, artificial planets for permanent habitation... The planet's external surface, which was wholly transparent, encased the atmosphere. Immediately beneath it hung the photosynthesis stations and the machinery for generating power from solar radiation. Part of this outer shell was occupied by astronomical observatories, machinery for controlling the planet's orbit, and great 'docks' for interplanetary liners. |
| Technovelgy from Star Maker,
by Olaf Stapledon. Published by Methuen in 1937 Additional resources -
|
Read more about the artificial planets envisioned by Stapledon.
Compare to the power planet from Power Planet (1931) by Murray Leinster, the solar energy beam from Masquerade (1941) by Clifford Simak, the solar station from Isaac Asmov's 1941 story Reason and the solar beam from The Long Way (1944) by George O. Smith.
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Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Star Maker
More Ideas
and Technology by Olaf Stapledon
Tech news articles related to Star Maker
Tech news articles related to works by Olaf Stapledon
Near-Space Solar Energy Collectors-related
news articles:
- Space-Based Solar Power May Yet Happen
- Navy's Orbiting Solar Panels To Beam Energy Down To Earth
- PRAM Solar Powered Satellite Hardware Tested In Orbit
| Tentacled Robot Captures Space Debris |
| Reflect Orbital Sunlight On Demand |
| Elon Musk Wants Data Centers In Space |
| ISS Plagued By Leak - Again! |
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'It sounds to me as though you had invented a kind of metal earthworm.'
'I don't have to tell you about the seven two-mile-diameter orbital mirrors that circulate around the satellite, making it habitable.'
'The steel tortoise gave MacKinnon a feeling of Crusoe- like independence.'
'...then back to their work, though little enough it was on these automatic cultivators.'
'The suit stands up and starts walking, gripping me round the calves and waist, taking the bulk of my weight off my throbbing feet.'
't came out into plain view. Darkington glimpsed a slim body and six short legs of articulated dull metal.'
