Re: starship-design: Re: Tidal forces

[kgstar@most.fw.hac.com (Kelly Starks x7066 MS 10-39)]

At 7:54 PM 11/6/96, Timothy van der Linden wrote:
>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


But the forces are acting on a lever hundreds of thousands of miles long.
Thats a lot of torque!

Kelly


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Kelly Starks                    Phone: (219) 429-7066    Fax: (219) 429-6859
Sr. Systems Engineer                                     Mail Stop: 10-39
Hughes defense Communications
1010 Production Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46808-4106
Email:  kgstar@most.fw.hac.com
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