Time for the world to build a space elevator? - Liftport Group, NASA and Spaceward Foundation working on it.

Something to give some of you a lift as the world banking system drops like a stone.



Some heads are giving this serious consideration according to CNN today

Quote :

A conference discussing developments in space elevator concepts is being held in Japan in November, and hundreds of engineers and scientists from Asia, Europe and the Americas are working to design the only lift that will take you directly to the one hundred-thousandth floor.
...
NASA is holding a $4 million Space Elevator Challenge to encourage designs for a successful space elevator.

CNN

But who where how why when?

Quote :

Hoffman feels that international dialogue needs to be encouaraged on the issue. He said a number of legal considerations also would have to be taken into account.

"This is not something one nation or one company can do. There needs to be a worldwide approach," he said.

So it would have to be a worldwide collaborative effort because of the expense and technical complications. And if it fell .. If it fell it would get wrapped around the earth twice, the earth spinning at 1000 miles per hour - it might be light enough not to cause any damage though, hopefully unless they had a plan in the event of a nuke hitting it in the atmosphere and taking it out. "Take that you Great Space Satan"...

A yoke that long would have to be very strong and it's thought that carbon nanotubes will be used - a material that is a near relation of diamond I think


History and Properties of Carbon Nanotube

Quote :

Tsuchida said the technology driving the race to build the first space elevator is the quickly developing material carbon nanotube. It is lightweight and has a tensile strength 180 times stronger than that of a steel cable. Currently, it is the only material with the potential to be strong enough to use to manufacture elevator cable, according to Tsuchida.

"At present we have a tether which is made of carbon nanotube, and has one-third or one-quarter of the strength required to make a space elevator. We expect that we will have strong enough cable in the 2020s or 2030s," Tsuchida said.

He said the most likely method of powering the elevator would be through the carbon nanotube cable.

So, what are the major logistical issues keeping the space elevator from being anything more than a dream at present?

Massachusetts Institute of Technology aeronautics and astronautics Professor Jeff Hoffman said that designing the carbon nanotube appeared to be the biggest obstacle.

"We are now on the verge of having material that has the strength to span the 30,000 km ... but we don't have the ability to make long cable out of the carbon nanotubes at the moment." he said. "Although I'm confident that within a reasonable amount of time we will be able to do this."

And the lucky country to have this Mecca installed?

Quote :

Other difficulties for space-elevator projects include how to build the base for the elevator, how to design it and where to set up the operation.

Tsuchida said some possible locations for an elevator include the South China Sea, western Australia and the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. He said all of those locations usually avoided typhoons, which could pose a threat to the safety of an elevator.

"As the base of space elevator will be located on geosynchronous orbit, [the] space elevator ground station should be located near the equator," he said.

Why build this thing? One of the main things might be tourism but there'd be plenty who'd use if for research. Maybe we'd even get some more knowledge about the law of Gravity? Here's what a blog says

Quote :

According to the studies done by the United States based National Aeronautics space administration(NHSA), a space elevator would reduced the costs of sending cargo up into space from US$2,000 per pound down to $400 per pound. This cost reduction would have a great effect based on research, such a telecommunication, energy and pharmaceutical.

Using an outer space elevator instead of rockets would also be safer, easier, and gentler on fragile cargos such as electronics. Having a platform up in space can also provide room for large solar panels, more communication, cameras and hopefully, even people.

http://www.myreviews101.com/tag/space-elevator-on-green-mars

Could it also be possible to stimulate a small part of world economics by setting aside funding for this? At present engineers are doing the research part-time but there could be huge leaps made in knowledge of materials science if attention was given to a Hoover Dam in space project like this.

But when would this thing go up if ever?

Quote :

"At present we have a tether which is made of carbon nanotube, and has one-third or one-quarter of the strength required to make a space elevator. We expect that we will have strong enough cable in the 2020s or 2030s," Tsuchida said.
...
"I don't know if it's going to be in our lifetime or if it's 100 or 200 years away, but it's near enough that we can contemplate how it will work."

CNN

I could be a septuagenarian by the time I'd get the chance to go into space and it won't be cheap by then so time to start saving now eh?

This is one project that i would love to see developed and work. The technological advances would be of major significance and space exploration would come that bit closer. It is much more important than missions to the moon or Mars. If we can make getting off earth easier and cheaper much will follow.

These megaprojects are great - installing those tidal turbines under Scotland's coast is another engineering feat worth praise. Another documentary worth seeing is the building of the concrete twin Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

It's fascinating to think how they'll raise this cable - I'm sure there's a documentary on it somewhere. The article says it'll be raised from the surface but how ? Depending on the weight of it maybe huge chunks of it would be delivered by rocket or shuttle to the counterweight above and then lowered down? I tell you, if it's built during our lifetimes then a city of trainspotters will spring up around the base. I'd be there watching this yoke descend from the sky. I can't imagine how it'll be raised from the surface though.

Tower of Babel anyone?

Auditor #9 wrote:

These megaprojects are great - installing those tidal turbines under Scotland's coast is another engineering feat worth praise. Another documentary worth seeing is the building of the concrete twin Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

It's fascinating to think how they'll raise this cable - I'm sure there's a documentary on it somewhere. The article says it'll be raised from the surface but how ? Depending on the weight of it maybe huge chunks of it would be delivered by rocket or shuttle to the counterweight above and then lowered down? I tell you, if it's built during our lifetimes then a city of trainspotters will spring up around the base. I'd be there watching this yoke descend from the sky. I can't imagine how it'll be raised from the surface though.

I was wondering if it would be a thin thread first and that in turn pulls up several more and so on. Can't see how it could be from earth up unless pulled but by what? The counter weight also interests me! Certainly if they ever built it I would be very keen to have a look and I reckon the next lot of elevators would be soon to follow.

I am a sucker for mega construction projects and space exploration.

Agree about the tidal turbines, great stuff and a much better way to direct resources than plastic Santas or Barbie dolls. If you want sad try this.

http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=L9639

squire,

i assume you have a good reason to be looking at supergirl barbie dolls on the internet.

Squire wrote:

Auditor #9 wrote:

These megaprojects are great - installing those tidal turbines under Scotland's coast is another engineering feat worth praise. Another documentary worth seeing is the building of the concrete twin Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

It's fascinating to think how they'll raise this cable - I'm sure there's a documentary on it somewhere. The article says it'll be raised from the surface but how ? Depending on the weight of it maybe huge chunks of it would be delivered by rocket or shuttle to the counterweight above and then lowered down? I tell you, if it's built during our lifetimes then a city of trainspotters will spring up around the base. I'd be there watching this yoke descend from the sky. I can't imagine how it'll be raised from the surface though.

I was wondering if it would be a thin thread first and that in turn pulls up several more and so on. Can't see how it could be from earth up unless pulled but by what? The counter weight also interests me! Certainly if they ever built it I would be very keen to have a look and I reckon the next lot of elevators would be soon to follow.

I am a sucker for mega construction projects and space exploration.

Agree about the tidal turbines, great stuff and a much better way to direct resources than plastic Santas or Barbie dolls. If you want sad try this.

http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=L9639

Yeah that is the way Arthur C Clarke described it being built in his book " The fountains of Paradise"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountains_of_Paradise

zakalwe wrote:

squire,

i assume you have a good reason to be looking at supergirl barbie dolls on the internet.

The best possible, honest!

Ah Squire come back down from space

Did we not have a much longer thread on space elevators. I'm sure we did. With calculations gor balance and everything ...

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

Did we not have a much longer thread on space elevators. I'm sure we did. With calculations gor balance and everything ...

I seem to remember it was longer alright. Was it yourself and ibis that had the calculations or maybe that was another thread/site