Thin film mirrors or solar sails. Just a micron or so thick. So you could package square kilometers of material, so long as you can figure out how to unpack them. The thin film mirrors could be used to focus sunlight onto solar panels in space. The solar sails could be used for navigating through the solar system.
Or, very long tethers could be hundreds of kilometers long. Could be used for instance for artificial gravity - two habitats rotating around each other by a tether system.
There's also an idea for building a lunar space elevator. Lunar space elevator
That would be tens of thousands of kilometers in length.
You could also build huge radio telescopes, case of launching lots of pieces and then assembling them in orbit e.g. with telerobotics.
Or, very long tethers could be hundreds of kilometers long. Could be used for instance for artificial gravity - two habitats rotating around each other by a tether system.
There's also an idea for building a lunar space elevator. Lunar space elevator
That would be tens of thousands of kilometers in length.
You could also build huge radio telescopes, case of launching lots of pieces and then assembling them in orbit e.g. with telerobotics.
About the Author
Robert Walker
Writer of articles on Mars and Space issues - Software Developer of Tune Smithy, Bounce Metronome etc.Studied at Wolfson College, Oxford
Lives in Isle of Mull
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