kitesurfing mentioned in space experiment

[kite_n_rnd]

The dynema lines we use for chicken loops
are tough enough to use for 19 mile super strong
tether in space!

Check it out!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/09/2 ... index.html

Can you imagine the power you could generate with 19 mile
long kite lines???

(Although the experiment wasn't successful, at least kitesurfing
was mentioned in the article.)

[selah]

Crazy article... 19-mile kite lines would make for tricky launching, not to mention deciding what size to rig. Halfway up your kite would pass through the jetstream (200+ knots), and at zenith you'd have to sine it just to catch a few air molecules if the leading edge hadn’t long since exploded. I can already hear the debate over whether kiteloops are legit if the rider’s not above the kite, then whether he’s using bottled oxygen, and just imagine missing the loop, crashing the kite, falling 100,000 feet to find your lines wrapped a small island nation. You’d spend all afternoon, the rest of the summer, probably most of your 20s/30s/40s untangling them.

[Dolphin]

The total tether had a length of 30 km, with a weight of only 5.5 kg. Also, only a 0.5 mm thickness was required, due to the exceptional strength of Dyneema®.
http://www.dsm.com/en_US/html/hpf/news_ ... tether.htm

http://www.dsm.com/en_US/html/hpf/applications.htm

[gonewiththewind]

Crazy article... 19-mile kite lines would make for tricky launching, not to mention deciding what size to rig. Halfway up your kite would pass through the jetstream (200+ knots), and at zenith you'd have to sine it just to catch a few air molecules if the leading edge hadn’t long since exploded. I can already hear the debate over whether kiteloops are legit if the rider’s not above the kite, then whether he’s using bottled oxygen, and just imagine missing the loop, crashing the kite, falling 100,000 feet to find your lines wrapped a small island nation. You’d spend all afternoon, the rest of the summer, probably most of your 20s/30s/40s untangling them.