It's pretty easy to tell that the guy's not telling the truth.
Over the past couple of years I've read a dozen articles about the potential for building a space elevator. Some very well educated research scientist wrote a few of them and none mentioned any one thing or problem or group of problems that would invalidate building a space elevator.
Heck, I'm just a humble satellite guy who understands orbits and can do a bit of math....
You admit as much. Perhaps their expertise is over your head.
You admit as much. Perhaps their expertise is over your head.
Irony alert.
I think that thing you just heard zinging overhead was the point.
Unless, as it seems, you're suggesting that a guy who does orbital mechanics for a living must obviously take a back seat in these matters to a guy who apparently excels in writing grant requests?
Given that the thing has to be dropped down to Earth from GEO, and that all of the necessary stuff (actually, twice the mass of the cable) has to be launched up there on rockets, how many heavy lift launches do you suppose it would take to do that? Answer: several, at $300 million a pop. Let's say it takes 10 launches (very unrealistic), so that's $3 billion out of your budget already.
Next, you've got to develop, design, build, and test EVERYTHING ELSE for $7 billion. Not gonna happen, even in the private sector.
You admit as much. Perhaps their expertise is over your head.
LOL! Put up or shut up about expertise, Zon.