Mercury to Dyson Swarm in 58 Doublings: The Wild Plan to Eat a Planet
Imagine landing a 1,000-tonne robot on Mercury that eats the planet, doubling every 10 days until it's spewed out a Dyson swarm. Sounds nuts? It hits physics walls fast.
⚡ Key Takeaways
- Mercury's 170 PW sunlight cap stalls self-rep growth by doubling 32 — orbit or bust.
- Waste heat forces off-planet radiators and fabs early, turning Mercury into a mere seed.
- 58 doublings sound feasible on paper, but real engineering gaps make it sci-fi for now.
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Originally reported by Hacker News
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