From: earlcp@idirect.com   
      
   marsbeyond@yahoo.com (Tony Rusi) :   
      
   > chrisv01@aol.com (ChrisV01) wrote in message   
   > news:<20040710122656.16528.00001089@mb-m22.aol.com>...   
   > > A while ago I saw an idea for an "Airship To Space" on JP Aerospace's   
   > website.   
   > > How does this work?  They mentioned using electric rockets which have   
   > very low   
   > > thrust.   
   >   
   > I know that the space station feels around 3 lbs of drag in its normal   
   > orbital range between 150 and 250 miles altitude where the atmospheric   
   > density is about 3 to 6 billionths of STP at MSL. I also know that   
   > many people are proposing electrodynamic tethers to reboost   
   > spacestations powered by mutiple 10 kilowatt lasers from the ground.   
   > So why couldn't JP aerospace be using some form of electrodynamic   
   > tethers powered by lasers on the ground to dynamically lift themselves   
   > higher to get into space from whatever altitude they can muster from   
   > bouyancy alone? I would love it if someone like Henry Spencer could   
   > run the numbers and show his work on this idea.   
      
   Because until it is at near orbital speeds already the tether can not be   
   deployed.  The end of the tether must be already moving above orbital speeds   
   to pull up the rest of the tether.  Tethers are useful to maintain or boost   
   objects in orbit already.   
      
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