Posted on 10/24/2005 7:48:38 PM PDT by KevinDavis
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - After three days of grueling competition and friendly shoulder-to-shoulder innovation, over $100,000 in prize money remained in the vault at the close of the Space Elevator Games - the premier event of NASA's new X-Prize-styled series of Centennial Challenges.
First envisioned in the 1960s, the space elevator concept began garnering serious attention with the discovery of ultra-strong carbon nanotubes. If built, space elevators would provide an incredibly low-cost route for sending payloads, and eventually humans, to Earth orbit and the universe beyond. NASA has funded studies of the space elevator concept, which have given promising conclusions.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
So would this be like: Basement - budget and other items on discount, 2nd floor - fine linens, 3rd floor women's....top floor - the Moon?
separating the payload from the explosion is always a good thing. Imagine a benign way of lifting nuclear waste to orbit, then sending it into Jupiter or the Sun.
Wouldn't the concept of using counterbalanced ascent and descent modules be the way to go? Or is that just too SciFi for the available technology?
I guess that would necessarily mean having a larger nanotube trunk with a smaller nanotube 'rope & pulley' system suspending the ascent/descent modules, with an equal weight of modules going up and down.
Maybe that's too complicated for current technology but considering that a space elavator will be enormously expensive, why not do it right the first time? If it's doable this concept seems ultimately to be technically simpiler that the climbing concept.
Designing the power, mechanical, safety & control systems for these bulk lifting containers sounds complicated and expensive as well. Climbing 62,000 miles lifting a payload out of the gravity well will take a lot energy. Same problems for descending with less energy.
Linear motor.. microwave or laser powered..
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