NationStates Jolt Archive

The Democratic Republic of Halberdgardia is proud to unveil its space agency's flagship project for the future of space travel: the Orbital Tower.

EDIT: The previous Orbital Tower design has been removed from this notice, as we adopting Leafanistan's design concept in the short-term. We may construct the original Tower design in Halberdgardia at a later date when we have more funds and the appropriate technology.

We believe that our design is superior to yours and is much cheaper over time. First a request be put out to Tannenmille to drag a large asteriod (500 m wide at least) into Geosync Orbit over supplied coordinates. Then we launch several rockets up and start installing solar panels for power. Then an offshore oil rig near the Great Leafanistani Desert will be used as a base station, because on average there are 3 days of rain and only 2 inches of accumulation per year, and a major storm happens once every 200 years.

As time goes on we'll build a small station within the asteriod and start building ports on the side. As this is going on we install massive power cables from the rig to a city we'll build on the nearby coastline. We'll build several pebblebed nuclear reactors, and then install a massive infrared LASER on the rig. From there we will start threading carbon nanotube wires down until they are about 35 cm thick and we will send the first elevator up with LASER power after we get 3 cables (2 standard, one emergency/stablizer). From there it'll be exponetially eaiser. The magnetic brakes moving up and down the cable provide enough power to help supplement the station's power and keep its capcitors fully charged. Then we can start building a Microwave Power facility on another offshore oil rig. Soon we'll be getting things into Orbit at only a few hundred dollars a kilogram. A revolution in our space program. Our idea as (estimated by Popular Science) will only run at around $30 billion US, a small amount of money for most of us. I say we go with my idea because a solid shaft cylinder would be very very vunerable to wind while a cable has a much higher degree of flexibiitly.

Any takers on the project besides Leafanistan?

[bump]

Tannenmille should have no problems acquiring this asteroid, but our only worries are keeping it in orbit whilst keeping it from slowly entering the atmosphere and crushing half the earth.

We shall launch aboard a Progress Rocket (About the size of a Saturn V) a small space station. We request that several Halberdgardian astronauts come with Leafanistani astronauts to build a small space station. From there we'll lift up some of the materials needed to stablize the asteriod. Once the asteriod appears in geosync orbit we'll start installing major stabilizers and the equipment necessary to keep it in orbit for a sustained period of time.

We shall launch aboard a Progress Rocket (About the size of a Saturn V) a small space station. We request that several Halberdgardian astronauts come with Leafanistani astronauts to build a small space station. From there we'll lift up some of the materials needed to stablize the asteriod. Once the asteriod appears in geosync orbit we'll start installing major stabilizers and the equipment necessary to keep it in orbit for a sustained period of time.

OOC: Sorry about the long delay, end-of-the-year homework/projects/finals/all the other bullshit is killing me.

IC: We will be sending up a contingent of 5 Halberdgardian astronauts via one of McKagan's Spaek-class space shuttles, along with a large payload of supplies.

"This is HNN, and we're live at the Halberdgardian Presidental Residence, where President Kir Kanos is about to make an 'incredible announcement' to the people of Halberdgardia..."

President Kir Kanos takes the podium.

"Citizens of Halberdgardia, I come before you today to unveil the most glorious and breathtaking acheivement the Halberdgardian government has ever accomplished. With the assistance of the venerable nation of Leafanistan, one of our closest allies, and after pouring fourteen years of construction efforts and billions of dollars into the project, we have finally completed construction on a truly incredible structure: the Orbital Tower.

A CG image of the Tower appears on a screen behind the President, and many oohs and aahs of awe are heard from the assembled group of reporters.

"This massive structure, which extends to geosynchronous orbit, is a staggering twenty-four thousand miles high. Though it is only about thirty-five centimeters thick in most regions, it is made of incredibly strong carbon nano-tubes, which should guarantee its survival in the face of natural disasters at its base. Only a cataclysmic earthquake, with its epicenter at or near the base of the Tower, or a massive asteroid from space striking the Tower somewhere along its length, could conceivably damage the structure, and both these events are extremely rare, and are unlikely to occur such that they will damage the Tower.

"The base of the Tower is in what was previously an abandoned oil rig off the coast of the Great Leafanistani Desert, where large rainstorms only occur once every two hundred years. From there, carbon nano-tube strings were run up to a midpoint asteroid in orbit, and simultaneously down from geosynchronous orbit to the asteroid. Now, with the use of cheap electricity, citizens of both Leafanistan and Halberdgardia can ride a simple elevator system to reach the stars. The Tower can be reached by simply taking an airline flight to the airport just a few miles from the oil rig, and from there to take a shuttle--a ground vehicle, of course--across the bridge built from the coast to the rig itself. Another benefit of the Tower is that future space construction projects will be far easier, as there need not be worry over bringing up massive amounts of materials by rockets. Rockets, coincidentally, will be relegated mainly to deep space, where they can do the job they were designed for without wasting fuel to acheive escape velocity.

"On top of this amazing feat of engineering, we are most proud to announce that the joint Leafanistan-Halberdgardia Brand space probe has been successfully launched via the Tower, and is headed on a 'slingshot' maneuver around Mars, which will bring it back around to Earth before testing its experimental new drive system, at which point it will head out to the stars to perform interstellar reconaissance, so to speak, for planets for the HSA's most ambitious project yet: the colonization of other planets!"

At this point, the reporters gasp in complete shock, before breaking out into thunderous applause and cheers.

"From this day forth, let Halberdgardia be known as one of the newest powers in the final frontier of space!"

The President steps down from the podium to a standing ovation.

Do I need to launch the K504 now?

I've got all the crew assembled.

Do I need to launch the K504 now?

I've got all the crew assembled.

K504 is GO for a run up the Tower. We can RP the launch, and the journey, using the crewmembers we each contributed. Godspeed.

McKagan send me the plans, we'll begin to mass-produce K504s.

LNNN:

Today in a stunning anouncement following Halberdgardian news of the Oribital Tower, High Father has asked for volunteers from "the healtheist and most stout" citizens to sign up for astronaut training here on Terra and on the Asteriod on top of the Oribital Tower.