December 15, 1995: Harnessing the Power of the Sun - David Kagan
The Art Bell Archive · Arthur William Bell III
May 16, 20232h 46m
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Show Notes
David Kagan, metallurgical engineer and author of the science fiction novel Sunstroke, joins Art Bell to discuss the real NASA and Department of Energy proposal to deploy a solar power satellite in geosynchronous orbit. The planned structure would span three miles wide and six miles long, collecting perpetual sunlight and converting it to a microwave beam capable of generating 5,000 megawatts, equivalent to five nuclear power plants. Kagan details how the beam would strike an 8-by-10-mile ground rectenna to produce electricity for the utility grid.
The conversation turns alarming as Kagan describes EPA findings that aircraft passing through the beam at altitude would have passengers flash-roasted alive, and that ground-level intensity of 23 kilowatts per square meter could bring an acre of water to a boil. He reveals that ionospheric heating would devastate AM radio and shortwave communications within a 3,000-square-mile radius, while tropospheric effects could alter weather patterns. The satellite would also be visible during daylight, 12 times brighter than Venus, and cast shadows at night equivalent to a quarter moon.
Kagan discloses that classified space shuttle tests of smaller microwave transmitters have been conducted since 1984 under the codename SPARTAN, and that the Defense Department views the technology as a weapon system capable of neutralizing missiles.
The conversation turns alarming as Kagan describes EPA findings that aircraft passing through the beam at altitude would have passengers flash-roasted alive, and that ground-level intensity of 23 kilowatts per square meter could bring an acre of water to a boil. He reveals that ionospheric heating would devastate AM radio and shortwave communications within a 3,000-square-mile radius, while tropospheric effects could alter weather patterns. The satellite would also be visible during daylight, 12 times brighter than Venus, and cast shadows at night equivalent to a quarter moon.
Kagan discloses that classified space shuttle tests of smaller microwave transmitters have been conducted since 1984 under the codename SPARTAN, and that the Defense Department views the technology as a weapon system capable of neutralizing missiles.