The Kite Theory

I was watching the History channel the other day and they had a program on how a team of scientist was able to lift a 10 ton obliesk upright with just a kite. Here is some extra info.

www.unknowncountry.com...

It is very possible that the Ancient Egyptians and other civilisations could have built their monuments using wind power. Heck, if they had sail boats they could have made kites. While no evidence that they acutally used this method has come up, it does seem like a higley plausible way to build a pyramid.


What are your thoughts on the subject?


Edit: spelling mistake

[edit on 7-6-2006 by thesnafued1]

I noted this in a Pyramid Topic oneday.

Here is an original Link to the subject iself, and they seem to have grander plans for the future.

pr.caltech.edu...

It’s an engineering challenge, says aeronautics professor Mory Gharib, PhD ’83. The idea of accomplishing heavy tasks with limited manpower is appealing, he adds, because it makes logistical sense.

The challenge was posed to Gharib and his colleagues two years ago by business consultant Maureen Clemmons. In 1997 she had seen a picture in Smithsonian magazine of a 340-ton obelisk being raised in St. Peter’s Square in 1586. This feat had required 74 horses and 900 men using ropes and pulleys. Clemmons came up with the idea that ancient Egyptian builders could have used kites to accomplish the task more easily.

An excellent observation, to discern this from the Glyphs, and a excellent example of it working.

At least there's somethinking there.

And for bigger things.

Future SURF students take note. Gharib says the team is “preparing to replace the steel scaffolding with wooden poles and the steel pulleys with wooden pulleys like the ones they may have used on Egyptian ships.” Now that he, Graff, and cohorts have shown that a kite can raise a huge weight, they plan to progess to a 10-ton and then perhaps a 20-ton stone. Eventually they hope to receive permission to raise one of the 40-ton obelisks that still lie in an Egyptian quarry. “We may not even need a kite,” Gharib suggests. “It could be we can get along with just a drag chute.”

Just that simple??

Ciao

Shane

I know a guy who is big into kites. He took a kite up to Mackinaw in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. He tied the kite to a Cadilac. I Believe the kite was approx. 8 ft in diameter. He tied the kite to the front bumper on ther caddy. The kite had enough force to start picking up the front end of the old caddy.

He also told stories of how they flew guys on kites over enemy lines in WW1 for surveillence.

Just some interesting stuff!
Sam

That is friggin sweet ! Tonight I am going to make a huge ass kite and use it to operate a generator ! So simple it always is so simple.......

I have seen people on snowboards being pulled along by kites. The fairgrounds in my area is a favorite spot because of the large unobstructed area.

Very interesting indeed. I've never heard of this method before now.

Only thing in my mind now is how to control the kite once it's airborne and at the mercy of the wind. For some reason I visualize a 50 ton stone block weaving around while 50 guys on the ground wrestle the thing into place with attached guide ropes.

Ever see videos of a submersible go wild on a ship deck as they try to lift it onboard in stormy seas? Dangerous, but do-able.

Originally posted by imbalanced
That is friggin sweet ! Tonight I am going to make a huge ass kite and use it to operate a generator ! So simple it always is so simple.......

Hmm, your going to have to tell me how that works.

LOL....
I was kidding but i guess you could attach the kites end to a crank shaft.
Have the crankshaft turn a generator.

Only thing I could not tink about is how to keep the kite in one place and
flying. The winds dont last forever so.....

Actually, the guide ropes, or "Tag Lines", if you're a rigger, is not a bad theory. I can easily control a block of concrete weighing around 50 Tons (100.000 lbs.) with one hand once it's in the air. Has anyone seen air lift panels used? You can put a piece of equipment on a square panel and hook up compressed air to the panel. It comes out of the bottom (like an upside down air hockey table) and pushes the panel up. Each of the panels I used had a rated capacity of 10,000 lbs. Once it's up in the air, you can just walk with it. It's easier than pushing a wheelbarrow full of feathers! If they could get it in the air, then setting a block is the easy work.

Interesting theory. I used to be into power/traction kites in a big way, and although i'm sure the modern day leisure/sport kites differ from ones that may have been used for ancient projects, i don't doubt that a kite large enoughcould do the job if designed right.

There are a few kites nowadays made to assist with pulling huge vehicles such as ships, heres an example.

www.kiteship.com...

That gives you an idea of the size some of the kites used, then again these are for traction and not lift. I used to fly kites from 2m up to 9.5m and they could all produce enough lift to get my fat ass of the floor in a bit of wind, but these lifts were more a long jump and the occasional drift in the air for a few seconds, not a steady stable lift that would be neccessary to control a building project.

I'd have thought an air ballon type device would have been more practical for this?

Interesting subject though. Nice one.