Planet Moving, Space MegaStructures and Other Feats and Ways to Accomplish Them

Ok, I've recently (the last two months) been doing alot of reading on speculative futurism, science fiction and space related stuff in general, and in doinng so, I've researched some things that I'd been aware of, but not really sure what they were.

So, this thread is dedicated to how to accomplish some of the more daunting tasks that can be achieved in the future.

I'm only going to explain how to do one thing, since I want others to be creative and have this be a learning process for everyone.


Moving Planets.

Now, this of course seems impossible at first, and is with our current technology base, but with the right technologies, it is'nt as impossible as yyou'd think.

Since you can't move a planet the traditional way we move things in space with rockets, as I once suggested in jest to a friend, whom than responded "those'd have to be some huge a** rockets", we must look to more unconventional methods.

What I propose would require the advent of wormhole technology.

STEP 1: Create the neccesary machines and power plants to run the operation.
STEP 2: Calculate the position, trajectory and size of the object.
STEP 3: Calculate the best time to open the wormhole.
STEP 4: Figure out where to put the wormholes exit in regards to reestablishing the planets orbit upon transition.
STEP 5: Open the womhole and move the designated planet into it's new position.

Now I realise that even if/when we do develop wormhole technology doing things this would'nt be very common, and may only be done once or twice.
However, this would allow an easier terraforming of planets that are either to close or to far from there primary to easily make them capable of supporting Terran (Earth) life.
It would also work as an escape measure, if your primary is expanding, you just open a wormhole and move your planet to an area that will be habitable post-expansion, or if your primary is going Nova, you could save your planet(s).


So, I'd like peoples thoughts and ideas on how to accomplish other grand feats of engineering and technology.

And of course positively critique ideas and have an atmoshpere of productive nice constructive criticism.

Oh, and the use of speculative technology is allowed, but try not to go to far I.E. no graviton beams or Universe skipping.

[edit on 8/30/2006 by iori_komei]

Originally posted by iori_komei
Oh, and the use of speculative technology is allowed, but try not to go to far I.E. no graviton beams or Universe skipping.

[edit on 8/30/2006 by iori_komei]

Why not? Hell, wormholes are still considered far out. And science does support the idea of multiple universes in existance, and before long, there might be a way to jump between them.

Sure. I'll put the hypothetical aht on and pretend we have achieved this feat, and now we need to move the planet closer to its sun. SO we open the wormhole, and the planet passes through it over a period of about ten minutes, and its velocity and trajectory as well as its substance atre relocated closer to the sun. But there's a problem.

Since the planet is now closer to its sun, it is experiencing a greater gravitational pull toward it. Thus, it needs a greater velocity to overcome this force. How do we speed up the planet so that it doesnt eventually fall into the star?

Originally posted by Skadi_the_Evil_Elf
Why not? Hell, wormholes are still considered far out. And science does support the idea of multiple universes in existance, and before long, there might be a way to jump between them.

Yes, but there a very plausable technology to be developed in
the next 500 years.
Supra-universal travel however if it is possible more likely
would'nt be available for a few thousand years.

Sure. I'll put the hypothetical aht on and pretend we have achieved this feat, and now we need to move the planet closer to its sun. SO we open the wormhole, and the planet passes through it over a period of about ten minutes, and its velocity and trajectory as well as its substance atre relocated closer to the sun. But there's a problem.

Since the planet is now closer to its sun, it is experiencing a greater gravitational pull toward it. Thus, it needs a greater velocity to overcome this force. How do we speed up the planet so that it doesnt eventually fall into the star?

Well my idea was moving a planet away from the star, but this threads
not just about movin planets, it's about all the engineering and
technological feats of space structures, like Dyson swarms/spheres,
Niven rings, O'neill habitats, and bigger.

I think that as far as moving worlds goes, Pierson's Puppeteers had it right with thier Kemplerer rosette.

The Ringworld would be, by far, the best choice of a megastructure, though. Don't believe me? Take a look at the facts. So what if it's unstable! That's why there're attitude jets!

Originally posted by cmdrkeenkid
I think that as far as moving worlds goes, Pierson's Puppeteers had it right with thier Kemplerer rosette.

The Ringworld would be, by far, the best choice of a megastructure, though. Don't believe me? Take a look at the facts. So what if it's unstable! That's why there're attitude jets!

Not sure what a Kempler Rosette is, I'll have to look that up.

Ok, cmdr, now that you've chosen the megastructure you like,
or think would work, how would one build it?

Also, even if it's not the best megastructure innovation and creativity
are part of what makes us human, so building other kind of
megastructures may well happen, just thought I'd throw that out.

would an array of space-elevators be considered a megastructure? (Space elevator = 50 000 mile tall elevator into Geo-stationary orbit) Because They have plans to get started on one of those pretty soon. If they do that, they should build a big honking city over it, just for fun.

Originally posted by ProveIt
would an array of space-elevators be considered a megastructure? (Space elevator = 50 000 mile tall elevator into Geo-stationary orbit) Because They have plans to get started on one of those pretty soon. If they do that, they should build a big honking city over it, just for fun.

That would qualify under the other feats section, which is part of this
as well, but it could be considered a megastructure as well.

Another propsal similiar, and probably easier and more economic to
build instead of a space elevator would be a space fountain.

Just to add onto ProveIt's idea. I'm picturing having say, eight space elevators spaced out evenly along the equator. Then in geostationary orbit, have all of them connected, so that it's all one continuous megastructure forming a ring around the Earth. I'm not picturing it looking like a ringworld, with land and water and all that. Just a mass of connected structures and just add a bunch of bio domes. I do wonder how Earth's gravity would affect things up there though. Would people be weightless? or would they be pulled towards the Earth, allowing them to walk around normally insted of floating?

Would be easier to get small plannets/plannetoids like pluto towed to lagrange points, and let "nature" take care of dealing with the body we would have out of orbit.

[edit on 31-8-2006 by jlc163]

Originally posted by jra
Just to add onto ProveIt's idea. I'm picturing having say, eight space elevators spaced out evenly along the equator. Then in geostationary orbit, have all of them connected, so that it's all one continuous megastructure forming a ring around the Earth. I'm not picturing it looking like a ringworld, with land and water and all that. Just a mass of connected structures and just add a bunch of bio domes. I do wonder how Earth's gravity would affect things up there though. Would people be weightless? or would they be pulled towards the Earth, allowing them to walk around normally insted of floating?

That would be cool to see, Earth would have a "skirt" than.

If the top is in orbit,t ahn they'd be in freefall, or as it's more
commonly referred, to zeroG.

Originally posted by iori_komei
If the top is in orbit,t ahn they'd be in freefall, or as it's more
commonly referred, to zeroG.

I know the ISS and the Shuttle and everything else in LEO is in a constant freefall, but I wasn't sure if Geosynchronous orbit worked the same, but I guess would.

geosynchronous means that the objects falls around the earth at the same angular velocity as earth's rotation. However, waht if we build a ring thing around the earth that spins as fast as the earth, but its spin also provides artificial gravity. Wouldn't it be cool to look up at the sky and see earth

Originally posted by ProveIt
geosynchronous means that the objects falls around the earth at the same angular velocity as earth's rotation. However, what if we build a ring thing around the earth that spins as fast as the earth, but its spin also provides artificial gravity. Wouldn't it be cool to look up at the sky and see earth

Actually, to get a standard earth gravity feel, it'd have to be spinning
faster than the Earth, I'm gonna guess somewhere around 5rpm.
So, you'd probably not want to look up.

Unless you figure out how to transport our planet through a wormhole to another designated postion for whatever reason you have, (and I'm not sure why we are doing it in the first place) there would be some very serious problems if the travel is not instaneous.

Originally posted by Revelmonk
Unless you figure out how to transport our planet through a wormhole to another designated postion for whatever reason you have, (and I'm not sure why we are doing it in the first place) there would be some very serious problems if the travel is not instaneous.

Hence a wormhole, it enters one end, and comes out the other end.
Maybe I'm just not understanding what your saying.

Well, I was thinking in my example more alng the lines of moving
Venus into a locked orbit about 1 lightminute ahead of us.
But if the sun was about to go nova, we'd need to move.

Since the planet is now closer to its sun, it is experiencing a greater gravitational pull toward it. Thus, it needs a greater velocity to overcome this force. How do we speed up the planet so that it doesnt eventually fall into the star?

.

Since the planet is moving in orbit around its Sun , assuming that the wormhole could be used multiple times one could aim the wormhole in such a way that the planet exits the wormhole heading directly for its Sun.. In which the Sun's gravitation would pull the planet toward it speeding up the planets velocity.

Before the planet gets to close to the sun and or when the planet reaches the desired velocity, the wormhole could be used again this time aimed so the planet exits in the desired orbit around its sun with its now higher velocity.


[edit on 31-8-2006 by Heckman]

Originally posted by Heckman
Since the planet is moving in orbit around its Sun , assuming that the wormhole could be used multiple times once could aim the wormhole in such a way that the planet exits the wormhole heading directly for its Sun.. In which the Sun's gravitation would pull the planet toward it speeding up the planets velocity. Before the planet gets to close to the sun and or when the planet reaches the desired velocity the wormhole could be used again this time aimed so the planet exits in the desired orbit with its now higher velocity.

Wow, that's a truly ingenuous idea.

You have voted Heckman for the Way Above Top Secret award.
You have used all of your votes for this month.

Wow, that's a truly ingenuous idea.

Thanks. I truly love topics where people are all taking part in simple wild speculation to solve problems. This is how new sciences and technologies are born.


[edit on 31-8-2006 by Heckman]

Thanks. I truly love topics where people are all taking part in simple wild speculation to solve problems. This is how new sciences and technologies are born.

Indeed it is.
Now only if all scientists were like us ATSer scientists/spectators.

[edit on 9/1/2006 by iori_komei]