What happens coming down a rope to Earth from the Space Station?

Question

So you're coming down a rope from the Space Station to Earth & since the Space Station is moving around in orbit does that mean once you have more atmosphere it's gonna get windy and you'll be traveling pretty fast?

Answer 1

Interesting question - Certainly, if you ever got low enough to start hitting atmosphere, you would indeed encounter a wind - one that would burn you to a crisp due to friction. However, I believe the orbital mechanics are such that if you were below the station on one side of the earth, your orbit would take you above the station on the other side of the earth (elliptical orbit) and your orbital speed would also change relative to the station, so you would lead or lag the station - and this would probably be a progressive condition until you either reached the end of your rope (figuratively speaking) or could no longer hold on. I suspect this would occur long before hitting the atmosphere.

Answer 2

Since the Space Station is in a low earth orbit, the other posters are correct: you're toast. The space tether or space elevator concept requires that the tether be anchored at geostationary orbit, roughly 23000 miles up. The problem is that any rope long enough to reach space wouldn't be strong enough to hold its own weight. PERHAPS carbon nanotubes will offer a solution to this problem. Then yes, you could descend by "rope" without being fast fried, or messing up your hair.

Answer 3

Well, you couldn't really do it, and the rope - being's about 200 miles long - is going to create a LOT of drag - lowering the space station as it goes.

now - picture this - a space elevator. It also uses a rope - or a thin ribbon about 6 feet wide, and it goes up, not just 200 miles, but 60,000 miles. At the far end is a rock, or a few hundred tons of equipment. Just like when you swing a rope tied to a stone around yourself, and the rope goes taut, the Earth's rotation is keeping this ribbon straight & tight also.

Now, you put a 'climber' on the ribbon - a machine that simply crawls up the ribbon to the sky. At 23,600 miles, it's a geosynchronous orbit - and the machine can just 'let go' of the ribbon, and be in orbit.

Pretty cool, huh...

Answer 4

Yes and in fact you would be swept off the rope due to resistance of the atmosphere, the space station is traveling way to fast to be able to hang on,,

Answer 5

Yes, windy and fast.