Space Race Update

[Zoupa]

You would think it would be much more practical to build a solar farm up there.

They probably need power at night.

Batteries are a thing.

[Savonarola]

You would think it would be much more practical to build a solar farm up there.

They probably need power at night.

Batteries are a thing.

Night lasts for fourteen earth days on the moon.

[Bauer]

How about solar satellites beaming down power then.

[Savonarola]

How about solar satellites beaming down power then.

This is well beyond my area of expertise; but I would assume you could use a mirror in lunar-synchronous orbit to reflect sunlight onto the lunar surface.  I have no idea what the cost of that would be relative to a nuclear power reactor.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

How about solar satellites beaming down power then.

Solar satellite ideas get floated a lot.  There are a number of obstacles that make the idea infeasible.  The primary one is that wireless energy transmission is really hard.  Yes, it can be done; however, it can't be done at rates that would make for a practical power system.

Sav's solar reflector idea is an interesting variation on the idea that addresses this specific problem.  I still think you'll have an issue with sunlight density not being high enough to get practical power out of the solar cells.

[Zoupa]

You would think it would be much more practical to build a solar farm up there.

They probably need power at night.

Batteries are a thing.

Night lasts for fourteen earth days on the moon.

I did not know that. 

[Josquius]

How about solar satellites beaming down power then.

Solar satellite ideas get floated a lot.  There are a number of obstacles that make the idea infeasible.  The primary one is that wireless energy transmission is really hard.  Yes, it can be done; however, it can't be done at rates that would make for a practical power system.

Sav's solar reflector idea is an interesting variation on the idea that addresses this specific problem.  I still think you'll have an issue with sunlight density not being high enough to get practical power out of the solar cells.

Even without the atmosphere getting in the way?

Solar satellites beaming down energy to earth are one of those fun things I remember well from science books as a kid but you just never hear anything about these days (both in the sense of the books were wrong, it didn't happen, and in what modern predictions for the future talk about)

[Tonitrus]

You would think it would be much more practical to build a solar farm up there.

They probably need power at night.

Batteries are a thing.

Night lasts for fourteen earth days on the moon.

Two connected solar arrays, one on each side?

[Syt]

Night lasts for fourteen earth days on the moon.

So a fortnight on the moon is 14x14 Earth days? I like that.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Night lasts for fourteen earth days on the moon.

So a fortnight on the moon is 14x14 Earth days? I like that.

3/4ths of the global population: intelligent design!

[celedhring]

Well, it is less surprising when you take into account we initially built our calendar around moon cycles.