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+--- Thread: The Strangest Dream I've Had in Years (/showthread.php?tid=4676)
The Strangest Dream I've Had in Years - rom65536 - 06-10-2020
So - this whole thing is born from deep hatred for American politicians, regardless of the color of their tie, and the fact that I misjudged a certain brownie's potency when I ate it.... This dream was strange, and extremely detailed - like a short film.
So, a beat up, dented, scratched and overworked spaceship marked "Tug 47" comes to a stop over a large asteroid. Inside the cockpit, the pilot puts on his helmet and checks the pressure seal before he opens the airlock and steps outside. As he steps out, he presses a button on his wrist, and this song starts playing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCRS4DRmf_w
The Tug Pilot opens a hatch on the exterior of his ship and pulls out a large crate. The back of his ship extends some cables with attachments on them. He opens the crate, which is marked "Contents: 1 Tow Bag Color:Vantablack 50cm to 100nm." A swarm of drones come out and he starts handing each drone an edge of what looks like an inky black cloth with an eyelet in it. The drones then accelerate away, unfurling the huge black bag that eventually surrounds the asteroid, turning it from a bright, reflective rock to a patch of inky darkness.
Soon enough, the drones return and he attaches the eyelets to the tow cables. The drones re-enter the ship, and the Tug Pilot heads back for the cockpit. Once inside, he brings the engines up and begins towing the asteroid in the black bag - which is 275 kilometers in diameter. As the engines strain, he looks at a monitor that shows the trajectory for the asteroid in the bag. There's a map of the solar system, with planets labeled, and a yellow arc cutting through it - the path of the asteroid. As it nears earth, the asteroid is blocked from earth by the moon, and when it gets too close, the orbit bends around the moon and intersects the earth right on Washington D.C.
With the asteroid on course, the Tug Pilot cuts loose the tow cables and changes course. He picks up a pad and begins recording data on it as the huge black spot slowly passes him. He looks up, holds up his right hand, and gives a little wave, using only the last two knuckles of the fingers on his right hand.
It's at this point I wake up and feel an intense need to check on my cousin and his husband that live in Alexandria, VA.
RE: The Strangest Dream I've Had in Years - stevebowers - 06-10-2020
I like it!
The tow bag is a normal part of a Gravity Tug's equipment- although the bag wouldn't be placed around the entire asteroid, unless the 'roid is very small. You fill the Tow Bag up with rubble to change the mass distribution of the tug itself. But you could use a tow bag to pull a smaller asteroid towards your target, and it would be pretty devastating (not that I recommend this as a political solution to anything, mind you).