An elevator from earth to space? is it possible??

Question

IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE AN ELEVATOR THAT CAN REACH FROM A GROUND BASED ELEVATOR TO OUTER SPACE ? DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE A REALITY ONE DAY?

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/09/18/space.elevator/index.html

Answer 1

Not very likely and it has to do with kinetic energy. The counterweight, that would have to be upthere, stays in its orbit because of its velocity. Kinetic energy is a function of mass and velocity. As soon as you hit the "space" button on your elevator and step off on the space level you increase the counterweights mass. Only you haven´t increased its kinetic energy. Result: the counterweights velocity decreases. And what will happen to that cord connecting it to the ground when the counterweight is suddenly out of sync with earths rotation? Well bad things. There would have to be a very complicated system of counterweights to the counterweight or you only go up with very tiny payloads. Alternatively you could use rockets to adjust the counterweights velocity when needed. But since the whole point of the spacelevator is to get rid of the need of rockets, what will you have gained from building it in the firstplace?

Answer 2

In 2020, NASA intends to capture a 500 ton asteroid. That overcomes the first obstacle, an anchor for the space elevator. Next, orbiting space debris has to be removed. The space agencies are talking about that now. Action will probably be taken in the not too far future. Present technology does not allow for sufficient cable strength. However carbon nanotube technology is making great strides and will probably make the construction of a cable a reality in the foreseeable future. Destructive vibrations may possibly occur in the cable between the anchor and the Earth. This is a technical dampening issue which is probably not insurmountable. The space elevator Earth-based anchor has to be constructed on the equator, which is the only stable location for a geosynchronous configuration and because security is important, possibly the best location to construct a space elevator would be on the Republic of Nauru, an island over a thousand miles from a continent which has road, shipping and airport infrastructure. Is a space elevator possible? Yes.

Answer 3

This idea has been around for a very long time. It was first proposed in 1895.

The problem is the materials. The material a space aleveator is made of has to have a tensile strength between 32 and 60 times more than steel does.

People are doing research into carbon nanotubes, which might have a tensile strength strong enough to be used for this. A carbon nanotube is a string made entirely out of a single molecule of carbon. So far they haven't been able to increase the strength of this material to more than that of Kevlar but they are hopeful that they will be able to increase that. It will likely take considerable time unless there is a breakthrough.

Because of this, right now the technology doesn't exist to build a space elevator. Within 100 years we may have the technology.

Of course, if rocket technology gets better, or other types of spacecraft are invented that are much more efficient, then we probably won't need a space elevator. The main problem with a space elevator is that you need to spen a ton of money at the start just to get it working, and most governments and corporations would not be willing to do that.

Answer 4

I think it must be built from space down to earth, the space anchor must have the correct mass so the centrifugal force can equalize the weight of the space elevator. Calculating the right mass will be very hard, but I am sure the mathematicians are up to it.

Answer 5

It will eventually be possible,but it won't be the free ride many believe it will be.
It will be more efficient than rockets but the anchor in synchronous orbit will have to be powered continually when the elevator is in use,and the heavier the load the more power will be needed.

Answer 6

as of now, maybe not...but after a couple of years it can be possible..just look at the kind of inventions of technologies now..nothing can be possible with the high technology we have..just think of the spaceships, the people of the past never thought that there can be a vehicle that can bring them to the space..I think an elevator can also be possible..

Answer 7

uhm i don't think it will happened in our life time,but it might be possible in some hundred years or so
Also im not sure im the elevator would be able to go up when it reached space
And how would people get oxygen?
so yea i think it's going to be a VERY long time if something like that can happened

Answer 8

well yes, they did it in halo, so why not! But seriously i do believe it will become a reality, but only when it becomes a necessity, i mean burning rocket fuel is just too easy! When our resources start running out, and we haven't wiped ourselves out, or one of those doomsday theories doesn't come true-then it will happen.
Its a great idea, and i hope i'm wrong and it'll happen soon.