Space elevator

[Burning Sheep Productions]

<a href='http://www.space.com/businesstechnology ... 327-1.html' target='_blank'>The article</a>.<br><br>Kay, do you thing this is a significant breakthrough in space exploration stuff and whatever or a complete waste of money that could be used to feed starving barefoot children on the streets?

[NHJ BV]

If it can actually be built at a price not capable of buying half the world, it might have interesting impacts on space exploration and could also lessen the envirnmental effects of regular launches into space (lots of fuel needed).

[Zylo]

I would not want to ride that thing.

[Salad Man]

It could be the newest ride at Disneyworld.

[Zaaphod]

Fascinating. I wonder if they can actually make it work.<br>

[norsenerd]

Taht is a big question. TEha rticle covered very little of the science. So they got a wire that has enoguh tensile streatnght. How are they goign to do everything else that needs to be done?<br><br>Also I don;t see how it will save on any fuel. You woudl still need to usse as much fuel to get into orbert. Perhaps more because your fighting tangential forces.

[Salad Man]

<!--QuoteBegin-norsenerd+Jul 10 2004, 12:23 AM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (norsenerd @ Jul 10 2004, 12:23 AM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Also I don;t see how it will save on any fuel.  You woudl still need to usse as much fuel to get into orbert.  Perhaps more because your fighting tangential forces.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br>Nah, you just have to tie it to a bunch of balloons.<br><br>Don't you ever watch cartoons?

[Ozymandias]

whats the point? Where would it take you? It couldnt link directly to other planets, so a geostationary space station would be all. They've built a sort of aeroplane rocket thing which is actually working. Its beaten this to space tourism.

[Tavis]

The thing about a space elevator that makes it so appealing is that it does require less energy to send an object into orbit through this method than through conventional rockets. Elevators traditionally operate by using a counterweight, but in this case, a motor strong enough to lift its payload along the cable would have to do. These motors will accelerate a person at a relatively comfortable speed (you won't be finding an elevator pulling 6 G's anytime soon) and the deceleration would also be very gradual. It is this acceleration that consumes so much energy in the attempt to send objects into space.<br><br>The fact that the elevator sends its payload off to a point in geosynchronous orbit is irrelevant; any satellite equipment would have its own thrusters capable of maneuvering itself once it enters orbit, geosynchronous or otherwise. Once outside the pull of the earth's gravity, its propulsion systems need not be very large or powerful to continue beyond orbit. In fact, this would be a very good launch base for ion propulsion, a technology that aims to make more efficient space travel. Imagine a rocket whose thrust is roughly equivalent to the apparent weight of a sheet of paper. Not very much force, is it? Now consider that same thrust applied to a spacecraft for hours or days. It adds up, but only after it breaks the gravitational pull of our planet.

[Ozymandias]

ah, I just scan-read it. I think ur right about the ion propulsion thing cos that takes ages to accelerate

[erikbarrett]

I wonder about our ability to build a modern day Tower of Babel, despite advances in science.<br><br>Do you know how deep they'd need to bury the thing to prevent it from falling over?

[Softpaw]

The problem lies more in the tensile strength of materials. With a tower that high, no currently produced material can support its own weight and will collapse. They need an extremely strong polymer to do this, which hasn't been mass-produced yet.

[Ozymandias]

You've got to look at it like this: Would it be cheaper to have one of these launching devices out of orbit and to have the object to be launched got up there by rocket? People will only do things if it's economically/politically viable.