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Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!decvax!duke!giles@ucf-cs.UUCP (Bruce Giles)
From: giles@ucf-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Non-equatorial Launch Loops: OOPS!
Message-ID: <1063@ucf-cs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-Nov-83 12:54:23 EST
Article-I.D.: ucf-cs.1063
Posted: Fri Nov 11 12:54:23 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 12-Nov-83 20:32:46 EST
References: <13396@sri-arpa.UUCP>, <1059@ucf-cs.UUCP>
Organization: University of Central Florida
Lines: 51


			>>>BLUSH<<<

I have just finished carefully reading the original article in the
December issue of *Analog*, and to my great embarrassment found that
I misunderstood the geometry of the loop.

I had thought that the side view of a Launch Loop was:


			   --> (motion)
		 ------------------------------		(space)
	       /				\
	     / 					  \
	    ----------------------------------------	(ground)
			  (motion) <--



The geometry discussed in the article was actually:


			 <===> (motion)
		 ===============================	(space)
	       //				\\
	     // 				  \\
	    (_)					   (_)	(ground)



This clearly eliminates the need for concern over the gyroscopic
properties of the loop.  Similiarly, there should be no problem
with coupling to the earth's magnetic field (at least to a first
approximation).

However, I still maintain that the Coriolis force, or a related
pseudo-force, will still distort the space-borne segments of the
loop.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Sidenote:  Bill Jefferys @ utastronomy -- I tried to respond to
	   you but decvax kicked back my mail. (It didn't recog-
	   nize utastro, error code 101 ???).  Alas, that means
	   that my responses will get to you via USENET before
	   I can get ahold of the right person here to clear up
	   the problem.  (Veterans day ....)
---------------------------------------------------------------

			    Bruce Giles
			    decvax!ucf-cs!giles (UUCP)
			    UCF, Dept of Math, Orlando Fl 32816 (Snail)