For the first time in decades, Congress seems interested in space-based solar power

finn@lemmy.world to Technology@beehaw.org – 33 points – For the first time in decades, Congress seems interested in space-based solar power
arstechnica.com

US Congress Breaks Ground on Space-Based Solar Power: A Small but Significant Victory for Space Exploration Enthusiasts

16

DYSON SPHERE HYPE WOOOO

I FUCKING LOVE MIRRORS PLACED AROUND STARS THAT HARNESS ITS ENERGY IN A CLEAN AND EFFICIENT WAY YEAAAAA

I didn’t see any mention of how they actually get the power down to earth. Really long cable maybe?

They did a test with microwave to transmit energy from space to Earth. There is some serious drawback in doing it via microwave though, so I'm curious on how they'll transmit a huge amount of energy without heating up or causing residual damage to the environment.

And ppl think wind turbines are deadly to birds, imagine a flock flying through a trillion watt microwave beam.

Yeah seems like there's a general thermodynamics problem with sending a bunch of energy through the atmosphere

Most proposals I've seen involve using microwave transmission to a ground-based receiver dish.

Last year, at the International Space Development Conference, a NASA official said the agency had begun a short-term study evaluating the prospects of space-based solar power. This was the agency's first real look at the subject in about two decades. However, that study has not been released publicly, as there were apparently some policy concerns about the first draft. The revised study may finally be released in late June or July.

Is this because people who grew up playing Sim City 2000 are now in positions of power?

They will try everything else before building wind and solar

Jewish space lasers in the news changed the game.