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Originally Posted by AntonioLao  Thanks. Could this physical description be used to control thunderstorms and other weather anomalies? You could save trillions in property damages and human casualties. |
If we could, I'd split the loot with ya!
Right now, we are mighty frail in comparison with weather phenomena.
However, if we could have a satellite with enormous mylar wings to block the light over the central U.S., we could deflect sunlight during the midday to drop the heating and reduce the convective thunderstorms with their associated and damaging hail, microbursts, and tornadoes. If the wings could also collect the energy (solar cells) and transmit it in another form of radiation directed at collector sites, the satellite could then become a source of additional energy. A system of such satellites "daisy-chained" around the Sun could transmit to the closest satellite in our orbit acting as a massive collector providing even greater energy resources to send to the surface of our planet. For that matter, these solar collecting satellites could cover the poles of the Sun collecting even more energy. (As our ability to navigate into space becomes cheaper, the solar collecting satellites might even be turned into mini-greenhouses to grow food - a.k.a the movie "Silent Running".)
The further away the satellite, the smaller it would need to be to cast a larger shadow. Of course, with bending of light, the shadow would block less and less light the farther away it is, but that would become part of the controlling mechanism. And the most potent sunlight is directly overhead, so "bent light" may not create such ferocious thunderstorms on the Earth. The closeness of the orbit would control the amount of blockage.
Of course, the same technique could be used around Venus to stop its runaway greenhouse effect. We might be able to make Venus habitable by controlling the sunlight. Overall, it might be cheaper than terra-forming Mars as seems more popular today.
IMO. the blocking technology is here today. Collecting the energy from the satellite "shades", radiating it to Earth, and converting it into other useful energy (electricity?) may need to be developed.
Control the weather and develop a renewable energy resource all in one fell swoop.