Space Video of the Day - 080727

With oil prices at an all-time high, the search is on for alternate sources of energy. Each of the possible "green" technologies has drawbacks - wind is intermittent, nuclear has problems with waste disposal, Helium-3 fusion requires regular shipments from the moon, ground based solar has to contend with clouds and night, and so on. One possible solution (which has the disadvantage of high startup costs) is space based solar power: satellites in orbit would beam power down to receivers on the ground via radio waves. They would have 24 hour sunlight, unimpeded by the atmosphere and its effects, and could collect an enormous amount of energy, dwarfing all existing power sources we have available today. Today's space video of the day looks at solar power satellites.


Space Video of the Day Archive