Quote

Originally posted by Hematite:
...The fastest way to get from one star to another is to constantly thrust until you're half way there, then reverse the facing of the ship and thrust (in the opposite direction) the other half way. That way you have huge engines on one end of the ship which fire basically all the time, and a couple of little turning engines...

Well, sure, if you actually want to stop. If you're just concerned about getting there, an all-out thrust is faster (as I'm sure you know.)

Rings around planets are wimpy. Let's build a Niven ring!

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Quote

Originally posted by dorrus:
**i would say impossible due to all the satellites and space debris orbiting around the earth, even in low altitudes.
**

Well obviously if we have the technology to build a ring around the planet, we would also have the means to clear out all the orbiting debris and crap. Also, with a ring, satelites would be mostly unnescesary, so you wouldn't have to worry about them too much.

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Quote

Originally posted by Picquilarius:
**Well obviously if we have the technology to build a ring around the planet, we would also have the means to clear out all the orbiting debris and crap. Also, with a ring, satelites would be mostly unnescesary, so you wouldn't have to worry about them too much.

**

satellites would be still needed for communication. a ring around a planet alone is not enough to connect all parts of the world (especially the polar region, assuming that the ring is built around the equator).

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(quote)Originally posted by Croikle:
(QUOTE)Originally posted by Hematite:
(b)If you're just concerned about getting there, an all-out thrust is faster (as I'm sure you know.)(/quote)

Why would you want to just get there? If you have anything to do at or near a planet, you'll want to stop or at least slow down.

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Quote

Originally posted by dorrus:
satellites would be still needed for communication. a ring around a planet alone is not enough to connect all parts of the world (especially the polar region, assuming that the ring is built around the equator).

That merely depends on how far out the ring extends. If the ring can maintain line of sight with the poles, it could easily replace communication satelites. If there is no LOS, it would be concievable to build 2 or 4 extensions equadistant each other on the outside of the ring to gain LOS without much trouble. Besides, things like orbiting telescopes would merely need to be given larger orbits to compensate for the rings presence.

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"En gris rumpa är fläsk, rök den och det blir skinka."
(A pig butt is meat, smoke it and it becomes ham.)
~ Sweedish Translation

We have the technology to both build rings AND clear out the debris as it stands NOW. It's not exactly technologically difficult, it is only the matter of cost effectiveness.

As for rings and LOS, as I understand it, there is very little satellite coverage over the poles as it stands. Not nearly enough people live above/below the arctic/antarctic circles to warrant very large extensions to get 100% coverage... In fact, it is quite nearly impossible.

Besides, nothing is stopping us from having satellites above the arctic regions, as well as have an equatorial ring.

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