Well, 3700 mi a start, I guess.

[Jasper]

Ok.  I thought there might be something like that at play.  Dang.

What about some kind of space station / device outside of Earth's gravity that uses a very long cable to pull things out of orbit?  It could be powered by a nuclear reactor and sunlight.

[Elder Iptuous]

most of the space elevator notions that i've seen floated are just that...
a really tall tower connected to an insanely long tether attached to a huge mass with space station on it...

[Triple Zero]

I don't know how strong the laser system would be.  Enough to conquer Earth's gravity?  Maybe slowly.  I don't know.

It's interesting how that, if there was a mountain high enough, you could WALK out of Earth's gravity well. The issue comes when the vehicle is ballistic (free floating), because that needs an escape velocity.

Would need to be a mountain without too much mass then, wouldn't it?

[Kai]

I don't know how strong the laser system would be.  Enough to conquer Earth's gravity?  Maybe slowly.  I don't know.

It's interesting how that, if there was a mountain high enough, you could WALK out of Earth's gravity well. The issue comes when the vehicle is ballistic (free floating), because that needs an escape velocity.

Would need to be a mountain without too much mass then, wouldn't it?

Yes yes, I know. It was metaphorical. Obviously you could not make a tenuous mountain that high. But you could make a space elevator. Same principle, 'walk' it up out of the well. No need for escape velocity.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

How much would a restaurant and kitschy gift shop at the edge of the atmosphere screw up the math?

Twid
senses business opportunity.

[Jasper]

Screw the edge of the atmosphere.  Put it at just the right altitude to view the Earth all at once, but still close enough to realize how fucking immense it is.  People would love it.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Screw the edge of the atmosphere.  Put it at just the right altitude to view the Earth all at once, but still close enough to realize how fucking immense it is.  People would love it.

Looks like I just got myself a business partner.

[Jasper]

Awesome.

I just had a vivid thought.  What if, instead of loving it, they had the gut wrenching feeling that they were going to fall, and couldn't eat?

Oh well, at that point they're sure as shit not getting back their money.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Awesome.

I just had a vivid thought.  What if, instead of loving it, they had the gut wrenching feeling that they were going to fall, and couldn't eat?

Oh well, at that point they're sure as shit not getting back their money.

That could be our tag line. "So awesome, you're going to puke!"

[Jasper]

"The restaurant at the end of your appetite"

[East Coast Hustle]

I'll be the chef. And I won't even charge my usual rate, just for the opportunity to serve people food in a zero or low-G environment.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Well fuck, it looks like we have an all Discordian business up in space. I think I can get over my acrophobia for this thing. Hey, ECH, you want to double up with me for the house band?

ETA: We can get LMNO on drums and Phox on bass.

[Jasper]

I'll be the busybody manager that goes around playing waiter and obsequiously asking customers "and how is everything tonight?" as they vomit streams of zero gee ragout past my head.

[East Coast Hustle]

I love this idea more every minute.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I am grinning like a motherfucker right now.