Will that "space elevator" will be built?

Question

I know it sounds funny, but I read in some articles two years ago of a certain scientific project: a elevator, if we can call it that way, that will take astronauts to space. No rockets, I think. But I still find it hard to believe it. It sounds so science fiction, like out of "Star Trek" tv show. "Bean me up Scotty"? Will it become reality? Or scientists have been drinking too much whiskey? What do you think?

Answer 1

I don’t know if it will work, but I am sure that we will probably see many people bring in a good design for it, and if countries agree on price, they will try to build it.

Don’t forget, 100 years ago we would laugh of people who though we could walk on the moon. And 500 years ago we would burn alive anybody who would come out with an “invention”.

It is not science fiction, in fact, most science fiction is not fiction at all, just too advanced for our technology. 50 years ago Start Trek was a science fiction series. Today we have cell phones that are much more advanced that those small “cell phones” or “radio transmitters” captain Kirk had.

This also goes for “Robby T” that said that is “just a Hollywood wonder”. I don’t think so. I see the space elevator as a good idea to lift people and cargo into orbit or at least a sub-orbit. From there it would be easier to gain speed to go to the Moon, or another planet like Mars.

Of course, the project(s) for space elevators are right now more like “dreams” than a reality, but you have to start somewhere. As it is today with our current technology, we would probably have less than 50% chances of success on building such a giant elevator.

But given many years from now, lets say about 10 to 20, we might be able to build it, maybe as we picture it today, or maybe completely different, or maybe we will decide that is not worth it, or a better idea will come out. Hopefully, we all will be here to see it happen one way or another.

Just to give my own opinion, the designs I have seen are still in their first stages and don’t look too promising. I don’t think they are worth the time, money, or more important, the lives that would be risked in the project, besides the fact that even if we are successful and complete it, danger will be permanent for those who use the elevator as it is designed.

But I hope we will see it one day, up and running, not one, but many, and we will probably laughing about it, and discussing how serious we are about teleporting, or hyperspace travel… there is no limit to imagination, and I am sure anything we imagine, we can build it.

Answer 2

1) Only the endpoints are in stable orbits. The vast middle is constrained to move at the wrong speed for its altitude at any given point. The minimum energy curve is not a straight line up to geosynchronous orbit, it is a spiral tremendously longer than 23,500 miles.

2) The Beanstalk will pierce the van Allen radiation belts and any material will be be molecularly discombobulated. Chemical bonds top off at 3 eV. The van Allen belts cook at 100 keV to MeV. Solar hard UV, too, and monoatomic oxygen.

3) No electrical conductors allowed for construction! When solar storms billow the Earth's magnetosphere Lenz' law would transform a conductive Beanstalk into a gigavolt generator.

4) How do you power the elevator up 23,500 miles? No air-breathing engines, no electrical power lines. Rockets?

5) 23,500 miles at 100 mph is about 10 days. Wear your lead undies. Get in real close and tight with your body odors.

6) What tensile strength supports the dead weight of a (tapered) Beanstalk? Arthur C. Clarke used diamond fiber ("Fountains of Paradise"). Pricey. (Nonconductive) Nanotubes at $100/gram, kg/meter, 3,800,000 meters... $380 billion dollars for raw material alone. Transportation cost in the Space Scuttle is about $30/gram. Call it half a trillion dollars plus labor costs and health benefits. Fuel is gonna set you back some, ditto breathing oxygen.

7) And when the first piece of orbital debris hits the Beanstalk... CRACK THE WHIP!

Answer 3

'...over the final 4 years they have have been given them a hundred cases better?' this would desire to be genuine, however the problem is now no longer in potential yet in length. The longest synthetic tethers with out imperfections so far have basically been a measly few millimetres long, and it is no longer clean how they may well be welded jointly with out impairing the tensile potential. this understanding is a sprint previous, and additionally they might have got here upon a manner of coming up infinite, organic carbon tethers. regardless of the undeniable fact that, if this have been the case, such an engineering feat would have certainly taken the worldwide via hurricane. for this reason I strongly suspect it is no longer genuine. the problem of coming up somewhat long chains of close to-faultless carbon nanotubes (or yet another proper textile got here upon) ought to be solved formerly a severe attempt is made at development an area elevator. notwithstanding if that's accomplished, there are a large many engineering issues to yet triumph over. See decrease than for different extra information.

Answer 4

That's impossible. The ride would be extremely long and the elevator wouldn't last. It would be suspended in space and would be at an exceedingly high risk of getting smashed into some space object. Also, the rotation and orbit would pull apart the elevator because the planets or where ever you're going is always moving.

Answer 5

Google has this project on tract right now! The only technology needed to develop it, is a material resistant and strong enough while being extremely light to make the elevator shaft.
I guess that in the next 3 years we will develop such material, and then maybe another 10 years before google build his own!

Answer 6

I believe they will try but not yet. They have too much on their plate already (mars expeditions, astrobiology..etc. etc. etc.) . So they probably will not quite yet. But it is a good idea for it will save a lot on fuel. But the strcture will need to be worked out. They can't connect the earth and the moon cuz the moon will keep moving farther away. So they will need to find a way to transport from empty space to the moon. But it still will save fuel cuz most of the fuel is used during lift off ( to get past the earth's atmosphere).

Answer 7

As soon as they get the necessary strength out of the nanotubes,which would be the building matieral for the space latter.I'd say i could happen by 2020 or so

Answer 8

I found one already, unfortunately it only goes up 100 floors so far. I can hardly wait for the rest.

Answer 9

Not a chance. How can they get through the atmosphere uncovered? How can they get back? How can they survive the pressure.

Nope, just a Hollywood wonder.

Answer 10

It could be done with carbon nanotubes, but people prefer military expenditures, it seems.