Re: Stealth and tethers

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, John Schilling
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Kevlar, Spectra, and the various fiberglasses are not, but those aren't
> quite up to a 5 km/s tether.  Carbon fibers, whether graphite or fullerene,
> will tend to be conductive in their own right, but it's possible the matrix
> material could suppress conductivity over long distances.  Nobody yet has
> any idea what a viable matrix for a fullerene composite looks like, so for
> SFnal purposes we can make up anything we like.

On a macroscopic level, you can just put insulating connectors between
segments so that current cannot flow more than 10 m.  Even if the
insulator is quite a bit weaker than your superfiber, it won't add much
to the mass.

-- 
David M. Palmer  [EMAIL PROTECTED] (formerly @clark.net, @ematic.com)