Hovering in the clouds?

2	If you had a hovercraft that kept you up in the sky, would it turn with the Earth or stay stationary as the Earth moved? Is there someway it could stay stationary and not move as the Earth turns? earth hover clouds asked Dec 12 '10 at 04:39 Hugo 1.7k●24●31●51

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2	As far as I know if you had a hovercraft, and it would be in range of the gravitational pull, you'd turn with the earth. answered Dec 12 '10 at 04:49 Hanhart 6.5k●29●55●126

In orbit, we have stationary sattelites, that stay in the same place.

We also have Geostationary sattelites, that stay above a certain country or city.

Applying the same technology, we could have either of them

answered Dec 12 '10 at 04:44

Tim Fontana
15.2k●135●198●367

The satellites are out of range of the Earth's gravitational pull I take it? Also, do you know how the geostationary satellites stay above a certain country or city?

(Dec 12 '10 at 05:01) Hugo

I don't know how, no, but I'm guessing maybe they are inside the atmosphere.

(Dec 12 '10 at 05:07) Tim Fontana

I think they move at just the right speed to stay above the country.

(Dec 12 '10 at 05:11) Hanhart

Weather is the ONLY determining factor to keeping a hovercraft platform stable. Depending on the altitude of the platform you may have to propel it at 200+ miles an hour. Windspeed at altitude is much faster than at sea level.

Being that thunderclouds can reach above 30,000 feet - you will likely want your hovercraft to be above them. There are no helicopters than can hover at this altitude, so you you will have to use some other technology than propeller to keep this thing aloft.

Anyway, the rotation of the earth is not a factor. Wind is. Of course, the wind is caused by the uneven heating of the planet, which is caused by the sun and the rotation of the earth, so... indirectly the rotation of the earth has an affect, but it's presented in terms of weather.

answered Dec 13 '10 at 03:05

Marc
276●3●6

edited Dec 13 '10 at 03:07

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