The N-Machine is an electron pump. It pumps electrons from the center out to the perimeter of the rotating disc. It outputs very low voltage at very high current.
The atmosphere of the earth basically moves with the earth as it rotates.
They had done an experiment with the space shuttle (the tether experiment) in which they reeled out a unit on a long thin tether and generate a voltage differential between the unit and the shuttle. They registered some pretty large power before the tether failed. I have not kept up with it to see if it was repeated.
Considering how much power it takes to build the rocket systems to launch each 1 pound into orbit, plus the fuel to get it there, I don't see something like the satellite ever becoming cost effective. As individuals, we're basically not allowed to experiment with gravity control or negation technologies in order to lower the energy cost of space access. Those technologies are reserved for the governments to exploit.
Lightning is a bit more complex than that. Energy is directed by the earths magnetic fields to the poles where it cascades down and into the core. This creates a huge potential differential in the earth-ionosphere cavity, with the earth being more negative than the ionosphere. Thunderstorms create localized energy imbalances which can cause a cascade of energy to flow from cloud to cloud or cloud to ground. Once the cascade begins, then the huge electrical potential takes advantage of the establishing ionization path, resulting in a huge electrical discharge in the opposite direction. By artificially creating such an energy cascade, lightning can be initiated on a clear day with not a cloud in the local sky.
BobStatistics: Posted by Bob Boyce — Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:33 pm
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