The Space Elevator Comes Closer to Reality

space.com ^ | 27 Mar 02 | Leonard David

[RightWhale]

Materials science is advancing at a good clip. No more big, dumb boosters. Tonga is now a major contractor for space tourism; perhaps they will have one of the cables anchored on one of their islands.

[NonZeroSum]

A very interesting target for a terrorist. The amount of potential energy stored in the thing would be staggering.

[isthisnickcool]

FROM INSIDE THE ELEVATOR CAR: "Uh, hello! Anyone there!? HELLO! Uh, we are stuck! Hello! It's not moving! Dang! Someone ripped the telephone out of the little box in here! Hello! Uh HELP!!!!

[TADSLOS]

Will they include Space Elevator Muzak?

[detsaoT]

Hmmm.. If carbon nanotubes are stronger than steel, I'd be willing to bet that they've got an immediate, and very practical, purpose in skyscraper construction. If they cost less to produce than steel (not likely at this point, but probably inevitable in the future), then they would probably be accepted wholeheartedly by the construction industry (perhaps even in home construction).

This has many practical applications beyond outer space (pun intended). I don't mean to distract from the aerospace applications for it, but there are also plenty of excellent uses for this technology here on Earth.

Thanks for the article. It's very intriguing.

:) ttt

[Psycho_Bunny]

21,700 Miles of Muzak?

[ElkGroveDan]

21,700 Miles staring at the door so as not to look directly at the strangers standing next to you?

[JustAnAmerican]

Think I will wait until Teleporters are the norm.

[RightWhale]

The amount of potential energy stored in the thing

True. What happens when the cable is cut? When cut low to the ground, one thing. When cut higher, another thing.

[Technocrat]

No, 21,700 miles staring at the back of the elevator to make everyone feel creepy. (Tried it? It's harder than it sounds.)

[RightWhale]

Think I will wait

A good news, bad news story, probably an old one:

Mr. President, I have bad news and good news.

--Give me the bad news first.

The Chinese have landed on the moon.

--Oh. What is the good news?

It was all of them.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

We should send Daschle up as the first human passenger. In honor of his elevator shoes, naturally. Maybe we could just forget to bring him down, once up there. He's be reunited with his ego, anyway, which has been in geosynchronous orbit above Washington for years.

[eastsider]

Edwards said he is looking into the environmental impacts stemming from elevator operations.

A space elevator attached to the equatorial Pacific would irreparably disrupt the migration pattern of the rara avis.

[P8riot]

21,700 Miles staring at the door so as not to look directly at the strangers standing next to you?

OK, who had the cheese?

[RightWhale]

A space elevator attached to the equatorial Pacific

Right. There wouldn't be just one space cable. They would be built everyplace around the equator where a suitable anchor could be located --an irregular spider's web of strands with a radius 10 times that of earth itself.

Imagine the potential conflict with commsats in geosynch orbit.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Anyone foolish enough to invest in this with the idea that there will be a return on his investment please contact me, I have ideas too.

[P8riot]

ROFLMAO!

[eastsider]

They would be built everyplace around the equator where a suitable anchor could be located --an irregular spider's web of strands with a radius 10 times that of earth itself.

A veritable cosmic Tinker Toy.

[flamefront]

Actually if the fibrous nature of asbestos is to be considered a problem, similarly these nanotubes will have to be carefully contained, sorry to say.