FLYING-SAUCER TECH

I was reading through the May 2019 issue (we never throw away our back issues) when I came across Elon Musk’s comment on page 42 about gravity and swinging a ball around on a string. This set my memory-bell ringing – many years ago, my science teacher told us the same thing. It got me wondering then: if you tied two balls to each end of the same string, spun them fast (maybe, hypothetically at least, with a tiny rocket engine on each ball) would they both (A) cancel each other out and orbit around one another, and (B) therefore remain in a very low Earth orbit as long as power was applied?

Taking this one step further, could you then set up a very large hoop and spin it with the same effect? Could this be the basis of flying-saucer technology? (Perhaps two hoops spinning in opposite directions to each other with a control cabin in the centre, and saucer-like bodywork for aerodynamics?) It would be extremely sensitive to control, but with highly advanced computer technology, maybe it’s possible.

(PS If this actually turns out to work, I want the Nobel Prize for physics, please.)

ROD KRUGER

Um, I’m actually not sure how to reply to your letter, Rod. I can’t quite tell if you’re being serious or not, and if you are, I’m not going to be the one to laugh at you (just in case your idea turns out to be the next big thing). Physics and I weren’t close friends at varsity, so we’ll have to pose these questions to the boffins out there among our readers, and hope they get in touch with us with their comments. – Mark, Editor