From: utzoo!decvax!duke!ucf-cs!tim
Newsgroups: net.space
Title: satellite held up by microwaves!
Article-I.D.: ucf-cs.865
Posted: Sat Feb 12 12:43:24 1983
Received: Sun Feb 13 05:45:54 1983

Stanford research Institute is developing a sub-scale model of
a 30 ft. diameter, ultra-lightweight passive satellite that will
be held at between 65 and 125 miles altitude only be microwaves.
There would be no on-board power --- The only thing holding it
aloft would be between 300 kW and 600 kW of radiated energy from
the ground.

It was developed by Dr. Paul Csonka, who is a professor with the
department of physics at the University of Oregon at Eugene and a
post-doctoral fellow at the Lawrence Levermore Laboratory.  A study
by the Stanford Research Institure reports that -- in the opinion of
the researchers -- the concept is entirely feasible.