Is it possible to make a space elevator?

Question

Would you start it on mt. Everest?

Answer 1

It is possible today, but not cost effective.

The way a space elevator works is like a ball on a string. Hold the string over your head and spin your hand. The ball overcomes the pull of gravity and the string gets pulled taut. The Space Elevator works the same way. A 62,000 mile (100000km) long string or ribbon is attached to the earth which spins. A small sattelite acts as a counterweight at the end and the centrifugal effect pulls the string a little bit harder than gravity does.

This process results in incredibly strong forces pulling in both directions with the maximum pull being just above geosynchronous orbit at 22,800 miles. With a ribbon made out of Spectra (tm) the mass required to hold itself up would result in over 100 heavy lift rocket launches just to get the material in orbit to assemble and deploy. The cost involved would be phenominal and not practical.

A developing material, "Carbon Nanotubes", have the potential to make it financially feasable. To keep the number of launces down to a reasonable number, a ribbon capable of supporting one ton of cargo with a small safety margin would have to be able to withstand at least 60Gpa (gigapascals) of force. Carbon Nanotubes have been measured with a strength as high as 100Gpa, but have not been able to show that strength when assembled into any sort of rope, ribbon, or other structure. Further development does, however, look promising.

The Space Elevator would be anchored to a floating platform approx 2000 miles west of Equador in the Pacific Ocean. Mt. Everest would provide many more disadvantages than the altitude would provide as an advantage. In a 62000 mile long ribbon, the height of Mt. Everest is insignificant where as the difficulty in delivering cargo is quite significant.

LiftPort has published a very interesting book on the subject entitled, "LiftPort: Opening Space To Everyone"

Answer 2

It has been seriously considered, using carbon nanotubes with a structure similar to buckminsterfullerene, as a rope tied to an orbiting satellite. You wouldn't start on Mt. Everest, since that place is already hard to get to. It's not 'free' energy, but it's more efficient than rocket engines, our only other alternative. The only difficulties are the logistics: the rope breaking, the wind, airplanes crashing into it, and so on.

A satellite in stable orbit receives exactly enough acceleration from the force of gravity to keep it in a circular orbit. Put that satellite at a higher orbit but at the same period of revolution, and you need more force than the force of gravity to keep it in a circular path. Some of that force comes from the weight of the rope. Some from the weight of the elevator you are pulling up. This elevator will slow the rotation of the earth, but leave it to future generations to worry about that.

Answer 3

The place to begin with with a road built above our planet as are the rings of Saturn about that planet. Once built, elevators having equal weight could be raised at the same time on opposite sides of it, at any number of points. The problem with this is, of course, what happens if one section were to fail for any reason? The whole thing would collapse! But, it could be done.

Answer 4

theoretically it is. practically it would be very difficult, and I wouldn't start building it on mt. Everest because the conditions up there are not suitable for humans to work.

Answer 5

It would be a really big tower with an elevator inside of it. The elevator would probably be powered by rocket boosters.

Answer 6

i believe the plans where to situate the foundation in the sea at a particular geological position where winds would be low, i believe the major problem in the construction is the "rope" not being strong enough however it is believed that carbon nano-tubes will be strong enough if they can manipulate them correctly and economically