Cover Image: August 2004 Scientific American Magazine See Inside

Electrodynamic Tethers in Space [Preview]

By exploiting fundamental physical laws, tethers may provide low-cost electrical power, drag, thrust, and artificial gravity for spaceflight

By Enrico Lorenzini and Juan Sanmartín















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There are no filling stations in space.

Every spacecraft on every mission has to carry all the energy sources required to get its job done, typically in the form of chemical propellants, photovoltaic arrays or nuclear reactors.


This article was originally published with the title Electrodynamic Tethers in Space.



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