Suppose engineers are able to build a space elevator within the next 40 years, would you enter the elevator on the ground floor and press the button for floor 100,000?
This is a social question and I’d like to start a thoughtful discussion about space elevators and explore the idea.
From Wikipedia: A space elevator is a proposed megastructure designed to transport material from a celestial body’s surface into space. The term most often refers to a structure that reachs from the surface of the Earth to geosynchronous orbit. The most common proposal is a tether, usually in the form of a cable or ribbon, spanning from the surface to a point beyond geosynchronous orbit. As the planet rotates, the inertia at the end of the tether counteracts gravity, and also keeps the cable taut. Vehicles can then climb the tether and get in orbit without the use of rocket propulsion. Such a structure could theoretically permit delivery of cargo and people to orbit at a fraction of the cost of launching a payload into orbit, and without the substantial environmental harm caused by some rocket fuels.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator
A suitable material for the tether might be made of carbon nanotubes which are several factors stronger than steel. They can’t be produced in large quantities today.
What are your thoughts about space elevators? Are they a realistic alternative to rockets and space shuttles?
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Of course, as long as the chance of dying horribly was less than 10%.
Even so, if something happened and you fell, that’d be one hell of a base jump. :)
Or you know, Tower of Terror. Depending.
Yes. Hold the door for me, buddy.
How does it operate?
If centrifugal force is behind it, do you think it is possible?
Is there anything that can act like as a prototype and prove it’s principle.
For example, if I take a string, hold one end in my hand and tie a stone to other end, and rotate it. If I place a ring in between, that take string through the ring. Then, rotate. It will take a ring far out, isn’t it?
However, in this case there’s physical contact between string and ring. What if it can float around it, like a magnet without being in contact with string? Would it move out?
@prasad Welcome to fluther. Here is your (free) editing: you wrote:
“prove it’s principle, ” should be its
If I place a ring in between, that take string through the ring. (then)
@Zen thanks for correcting me. I bet I would need more in future too.
Only if you like it.——(Otherwise, it would be annoying and tedious, for us both) Feel free to PM me when you’ve fed up.
@asmonet – Well, I would expect them to have some sort of safety gear and overspeed controls. Till you pass floor 1000 you might still be able to use a parachute. Beyond that, I’m not sure. Maybe the space elevator will carry lifeboats or escape pods. The latter might work till you pass floor 2000 and might be constructed like a glider without an engine. But you also need oxygen and heating. What happens when you pass floor 10000? Hard to tell. Suppose the elevator becomes feasible some day, I guess the design of the failsafe mechanism would be critical to gain widespread acceptance, otherwise it would be just for astronaut-type passenger who know they risk their life when signing on. Or the occasional adventure tourist.
@prasad – Yes, the tether would be incredibly long. A counterweight attached to the tether above the geosynchronous orbit would make sure the tether remains taut. The forces are enormous which is why the carbon nanotubes are needed. Maybe physicists or chemists or material scientists will invent something even stronger. I think the elevator is a wonderful idea. But today it remains science fiction.
@Zen – I thought you had a day off from school today ;-) Withdrawal symptoms?
Nah. I’m taking the space escalator instead.
This article has something on space elevator.
This video elaborates on it.
This one shows a kinda prototype that is shown to be working.
It’s operation in brief: The base on earth is connected to a countermass (in space) through tether. The elevator moves up this tether with the help of mechanical climbers, which in turn derive the required energy from laser beam. The base does this job of throwing laser beam on to the elevator.
This seems alright when the tether is taught and straight. What happens when it bulges, like because of coriolis component?
I mean, if it bulges the elevator could miss out the laser beam, then it might go off. Also, wind might cause it to flutter.
Holding the elevator on to a some height seems to be a difficult task.
Neverthless, the idea of space elevator is great.
I would definitely like to press the button for floor 100,000!
@asmonet – Waiting lists for tourists are long, I heard, but maybe you can talk to the Russian elevator carrier. They’re still looking for tourists paying cash. Got $20 million on you?
@prasad – Thanks. I just watched the video. Excellent. So will you build us one after you graduate?
We are going to need a lot of buckyball cable.
@mattbrowne: I’m a redhead with boobs. The line doesn’t look that long. ;)
Yeah I would go as long as I knew I would make it there and back safetly
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