The Gibraltar Bridge

[Zoid]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
The more pillars, the more chances for a ship to hit one.

Haven´t we established that fact already?

[Immortal Wombat]

Put all the International Space Station budget, all that bridge budget, all the money being ploughed into NMD, all the money being spent on floating city boats, and put them into a Space Elevator and Orbital hotel.

[KrazyHorse]

I can get with that idea, but you still won't have enough money.

Maybe you'd have enough if you took the GDP of the US for a year...

[Zoid]

I think US military budget for a year would suffice

[KrazyHorse]

And I hadn't realised the Straits were that deep. That's an impressive slope, from sea level to -1000 m in just a couple of kilometers...

Maybe you should just uild a massive land bridge with dredges.

[KrazyHorse]

That's only ~350 billion. Not even close to enough to fund research of strong enough materials for cable and then pay to launch all of it into orbit...

[Immortal Wombat]

Maybe you'd have enough if you took the GDP of the US for a year...

Suits me. They could record it as a TV program called "Can you live... as a third world country" and seel it to Europe to balance some of the cost.

[Zoid]

OK, you´re talking ´bout the space station... I´m still on the bridge

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Immortal Wombat
. . . put them into a Space Elevator . . .

Are you talking about skystalks?? Skystalks won't work on Earth. The weight of skystalk streching from orbit down to the ground will overcome the tensile strength of even theoretical materials. (It would be possible to build a skystalk on Mars using carbon fibers or on our moon using materials with a lesser tensile strength.)

I don't think a Gibraltar Bridge will be built. The technological challenge is too greath, the cost is too enormous and the possible financial return is not attractive enough.

Let's just build giant catapaults and fling people across.

[Zoid]

Heh, like Elbonian Airways...

[Immortal Wombat]

The weight of skystalk streching from orbit down to the ground will overcome the tensile strength of even theoretical materials.

Get a better theory...

[- Groucho -]

The width and height of ships wouldn't be an issue. The world's tallest ship (water to top) is the Russian Barqe "Sedov" (a tall ship used to train naval cadets) whose main mast tops out 58 m from the water. In a year or so the Queen Mary 2 will be launched with a height of 62 m from the water and will take the crown. The widest is a cargo ship called the Sea World which, at 79 m wide, beats the USS Enterprise by 1 m.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Immortal Wombat
Get a better theory...

My own personal theory is to charge the skystalk with electromagnetism.

I remember in school seeing an experiment where a magnatized paperclip could be used to dangle about a foot-long length of paperclips. The tensile strength between those paperclips was zero...until magnatism was added. Maybe that would make a skystalk work.

The downside of using magnatism is that anyone with a metal plate in his head would be immediately stuck to the side of the elevator.

[Sarxis]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
The downside of using magnatism is that anyone with a metal plate in his head would be immediately stuck to the side of the elevator.

Plus, I would have a problem with having my electrons reorganized; and I WON'T STAND FOR THAT!!


It really does seem to be a matter of, "Do we really need it?".

[faded glory]

Its not possible. Too big.....too vulnerable. 11 miles? Would cost hundreds of billions. Now in the future, maybe when there are laser walkways. But not concievably for 100 years