/sci/ - Science & Math

>To capture energy from solar wind, a solar wind power satellite would rely on a long straight current-carrying copper wire directed toward the Sun. The current would create a magnetic field in concentric circles around the wire. That magnetic field would exert a force, known as a Lorentz force, on moving charged particles, which in turn would attract electrons toward a metal receiver situated on the wire. The channeling of electrons through the receiver would produce current, some of which would be transferred back to the copper wire to create a self-sustaining magnetic field. The remainder of the current would flow through a resistor on the wire and be transformed into a laser beam for long-distance transport to Earth. A large sail would help stabilize the satellite.
>Solar wind power satellite technology has the potential to generate a vast amount of power. Harrop claimed that a satellite with a wire 1 km (0.62 mile) in length and a sail 8,400 km (5,220 miles) in width would generate 100 billion times the power needed by humanity annually. In addition, the materials needed to construct the satellite would be relatively inexpensive, because the satellite would be made mostly of copper. Furthermore, while the magnetic field would attract electrons, it would repel positively charged particles, thereby protecting the satellite from other destructive particles that make up solar wind.
So do you think with Martian mining operations we could build a huge satellite and put it at Mars L1 to protect its atmosphere from solar wind and provide a fuckton of energy without worrying about it drifting out of orbit?