I wrote: > There is a fundamental problem with this idea. While the earth > has a net negative charge of say, one megajoule, the tiny > fraction of a joule per square meter just won't supply the > repulsive force you need unless your Van de Graaff spacecraft > is very large and already elevated. The earth is is quite > conductive, especially at the voltages we are talking about here. > Therefore, an object with a strong negative charge will charge > the earth locally positive by induction and your spheres will > be strongly attracted to the earth, not repelled. The earth's > negative field will have been slightly shifted to the opposite > side of the world.
I meant coulombs, not joules. M. _______________________________________________ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web!
