Bold new Ideas & Problem Solving with free Advice

On this page I have described in brief form some very big ideas and concepts, maybe outlandish and fantastic but mostly not impossible. These wild ideas also have the purpose to solve some world problems, which cannot be easily solved with ordinary means. They need developing and shaping but will hopefully contribute to get you and many other people thinking and acting accordingly. I will add more big new ideas and concepts from time to time; so keep coming back for not to miss them.

Hurl rockets into space

The trouble with traditional rockets is that they have to take with them a heavy load of all their own fuel to burn for reaching space. I think at least part of the energy for and during their flight can be provided from the ground. This can perhaps be done as follows:

Build a catapult with a single rail for hurling rockets into space by magnetic levitation, that is by providing electromagnetism for accelerating the rockets.
The catapult should be built in high altitude near the equator, facing from west to east and – with a slight bend – incline to about 50% upwards. Because of this, it should be located near a suitable mountain, the last part of the catapult leaning on the mountain slope.
The catapult must be long enough (perhaps 20-50km or 12-30 miles) to give the vehicles a certain velocity, e.g. half of the target speed of the rocket. This means a very high acceleration, which would then only be suitable for unmanned rockets.

Once the catapult has been built, it would be possible to launch cheap rockets in quick succession, needing fuel only for the last part of their target speed because of the initial velocity provided by the energy from the ground.

Alternatively, the rockets can be launched in a closed tube and pulled by the same electromagnetic energy.

Small rockets can also be launched in a tube but perhaps getting their initial boost by high air pressure or by air pressure differences in tube sections.

Reflect or shade sun radiation in space

Global warming (or climate change) is a real problem. Even by applying good will and putting in huge efforts, it will probably take many years till the CO2 content in our air stabilizes and reduces, maybe too long to prevent dire consequences for all of us.

Therefore, as a temporary measure to buy us time I suggest the following:

After finding highly reflective matter by scientific investigation, bring enough of it (carried by rockets) as powder into space and spread its particles over a very large area between Sun and Earth. Reflection of even a few percent of sun radiation before reaching Earth cools its surface and our atmosphere sufficiently to prevent further global warming.

Over time, part of the matter may spread even further and slip away. In that case it needs to be replaced.

The same concept can perhaps be applied by shading Earth from the sun, this being done by a different material in powder form. The concept and transport of it by rockets is similar, but now the fine particles form a huge veil between sun and earth, which does not reflect but partly blocks out sun radiation, causing a slight shadow and thereby cooling our planet.

Using a catapult for hurling the rockets into space (as described above) could be handy and a relatively cheap solution in the long term.

Reflect sun radiation in the atmosphere

One concept for increasing sun radiation and thereby cooling the earth in the daytime is increasing cloud cover. This could be done artificially by enhancing the covering effect from airplane exhausts. At present air planes emit water vapour after burning fuel, visible as cloud stripes at certain altitudes but not lasting long. It might be worth thinking about adding a certain substance to the fuel to create a more reflective and longer lasting cloud effect and – by doing so – increasing the area of clouds in the sky but only for the daytime. There are perhaps thousands of air planes in the air at any given time which could make a difference in the overall cloud cover with a measurable cooling effect for earth.

Another idea for increasing the cloud cover could be by applying a similar concept as described under ‘Reflect or shade sun radiation in space’, namely shooting a suitable substance into the higher atmosphere, where it can spread and build large veils. The veils are then to reflect sun radiation in the daytime but should let the longer waves of the warmth from the ground get through at night.

Increase heat radiation from earth into space

A further concept for cooling the earth is to decrease cloud cover, for clouds obstruct heat radiation from the ground into space, particularly at night. The idea is to ‘seed’ the clouds (to make them rain) with cheap rockets, loaded with the seed substance, in areas where practical and with the greatest effect but only for the night time if and where feasible. This can of course also be done with airplanes (as done before), but this might be more expensive and not so selective.