A Space Elevator?

[DRoseDARs]

Well, I've seen now three different but similar proposals, so apples to oranges as far as comparisons go.

My only hope is that these and any other such proposals fade away into obscurity for at least 50-75 years. I can't stress enough how much I DO NOT want to see even one of these things being built for Earth in the near future. The risks are FAR too great at this point of our civilization's developement. Rockets serve us well enough without threatening mass-catastrophy...

[KrazyHorse]

All right chicken little.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by DRoseDARs
The article involved stated a group needed about $5 billion in order to finance developement and construction of such a structure sometime early next decade.

The technology exists. The materials exists. The need exists. It's just the economic push and development of the industrial techniques that's left to do to make a space elevator.

Let's cancel the war and put the money saved towards building this thing.

[Lung]

Originally posted by DRoseDARs
Well, I've seen now three different but similar proposals, so apples to oranges as far as comparisons go.

My only hope is that these and any other such proposals fade away into obscurity for at least 50-75 years. I can't stress enough how much I DO NOT want to see even one of these things being built for Earth in the near future. The risks are FAR too great at this point of our civilization's developement. Rockets serve us well enough without threatening mass-catastrophy...

What makes you think that anything's going to change in the future? Terrorism has always been a threat, and always will be. It's just that in the old days they used to be called "barbarians"

The most likely scenario is that this technology will find uses hardly thought of now. Whoever said skyscrapers is probably right on the money.

Of course, the best bet would be to build one on the moon, as the lack of atmosphere and lower gravity would make it smaller with lower requirements. Unfortunately, to make such a proposal feasible, we probably would need a space elevator on earth first

We could be waiting a while, but in the mean time it may prove itself in other technologies.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Lung
Of course, the best bet would be to build one on the moon, as the lack of atmosphere and lower gravity would make it smaller with lower requirements. Unfortunately, to make such a proposal feasible, we probably would need a space elevator on earth first

The one on the moon would probably be impractical. Remember that the moon's rotational day is 28 earth days. That makes selenostationary orbit just about impossible, given the Earth's gravitational well.

[Lancer]

Good news, I've started one on the hill behind my house.

The crew of the elevator 'Enterprise' has boarded...

[Lung]

Originally posted by Frogger


The one on the moon would probably be impractical. Remember that the moon's rotational day is 28 earth days. That makes selenostationary orbit just about impossible, given the Earth's gravitational well.

Er.....good point

Okay, so maybe Mars then. We'd still need one here first