starship-design: Re: Tidal forces

[TLG.van.der.Linden@tip.nl (Timothy van der Linden)]

To Kelly

>>>Its still not practical to try to build a solid structure  the size of a
>>>jovian planet.  It wound be stiff, and will have a lot of trouble with
>>>tidal forces.  Its simpler and cheaper to just have a lose swarm of
>>>syncronized transmitter platforms that wander around as need be.
>>
>>What tidal forces?, in orbit around the Sun the gravitational pull from
>>other planets is minimal.
>>(In fact the gravitational pull from the Sun on planets is already very low,
>>for Mercury the acceleration towards the Sun is only 0.004g)
>
>Tidal forces varry acording to size.  Given a structure a dozen times the
>size of earth (and extrenmly unlikelt situation) it would have larger tidal
>force.  Certainly enough to keep it edge on to the sun.

Why? Can you use a description without using "tidal forces"? That term seems
not so adequate here.

I understand that part that are at different distances from the Sun will
have a different gravitational pull, but believe me these differences are
REALLY small. You cannot compare those forces to those which a meteor
experiences when flying close by a planet.

Tim