would it be possible to take a cable into space while leaving it attached to earth creating a cable link to a space station or satallite
2006-10-06 15:45:44 · 7 answers · asked by bladesmanlou 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Yes, it would, if you had a strong enough material to make it out of. The usual term for this kind of thing is 'space elevator' (because the idea usually involves a solar-powered car that moves up and down the cable to carry freight to the space station).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/space_elevator
2006-10-06 15:48:06 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
An interesting question. The answer is yes. Arthur C. Clarke proposed a space elevator; a cable hanging from a geostationary satellite 36000 km. above the equator to lift payloads into space. It costs more than $20000 to lift a kg into orbit with a rocket, but it would use less than a dollar's worth of electricity using this method. Interestingly, when Clarke first proposed this idea, there wasnt yet a material light and strong enough. Now there is; buckytubes made of carbon. There will be all sorts of engineering problems, but I think we'll solve them within a few years. This is the only way space travel will ever become cheap.
2006-10-07 00:00:06 · answer #2 · answered by zee_prime 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's debatable. Can't be done right now.
The ONLY way that it COULD be done was if the satellite was so far away that it was at the proper altitude for geosynchronous orbit (24 hours to go around once - like what a lot of communications satellites do) which is pretty far out there, or further out. Inside of that orbit, it has to go faster to stay up there, and a cable would make it go too slow and down it'd come.
There are scientists that think it may be possible to make cables out of something like carbon nanotube material and pull this off someday. But it can't be done now.
2006-10-06 22:57:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It would have to be attatched to an object further away than geosynchronous since the object would have to be exerting a pull to support the weight of the cable. Oscillations, space debris and drunken Northwest pilots might make it impractical. Read "Towers of Paradise" by Arthur Clarke.
2006-10-06 23:08:40 · answer #4 · answered by Nomadd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All that work just to get cable TV?
2006-10-06 22:49:29 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
I rather terraform Venus before trying that one!
2006-10-06 22:51:13 · answer #6 · answered by Manny L 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
that would be cool. then when my mates and me are coming home off the pi ss we could switch it on and off. lights go on lights go off.
2006-10-06 23:02:02 · answer #7 · answered by kunt 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋