[rarestia]

The idea of space elevators has been around for a long time. When carbon nanofibers were discovered, the possibility became a bit more real.

The biggest problem will be location. Last I read anything on it, they were positing off of the west cost of South America as the most ideal location due to the relatively calm weather conditions.

I’m sure the eggheads are crunching the numbers, but I’m curious about the implications on the rotation of the planet. We’ve been spinning the same for millenia. If you add a weight on one side of a spinning globe, you will naturally skew the point of rotation. It might not impact our orbit, but I suspect it will play some role on the planet’s core.

[Carl Vehse]

The Earth’s axis of rotation shifts slightly (changing the location of the equator, causing stress on the tether) due to axial precession, the Milankovitch cycles, polar wandering of the crust and mantle, earthquakes, melting glaciers and polar ice sheets, and shifting due to human causes (e.g., groundwater extraction, dams). NASA data have shown that the Earth’s axis (and thus the location of the equator) has shifted about 30 feet in the last century.

[algore]

” I’m curious about the implications on the rotation of the planet. “

pretty sure the planet masses about 5.9 sextillion tonnes

the elevator will be insignificant, but if you are worried maybe we should build 2 of them.