Japanese Begin Working On Space Elevator

Originally posted by Mintwithahole.
A Space Elevator! I don't see how such a thing could work. Wouldn't the weight of the lifting body simply pull the satellite out of orbit into the atmosphere where it would burn up? The only way to combat that would be if the satellite fired rockets while it was hauling the carriage up into space. Then there's the weight factor. The stronger and longer you made the cables the more the weight would increase, and so on.
Mind you, wasn't dear old Arthur C Clarke who first came up with the space elevator theory and he spawned the communications satellite!

Not only is it possible, it would be very cost efficient for moving equipment and materials from the surface to orbit. And you're right about Arthur C Clarke.

Here's a 2006 article from Wired.

www.wired.com...

Reality is being abled to find a cable light enuff and strong enuff. And i dont think thats going to happen anytime this century. And lord a 36000 mile cable would like to be at the end of that if it snapped yikes.

Originally posted by Eurisko2012
reply to post by computerwiz32

 

Believe it or not.
They had one of these elevators to space on a
Star Trek Voyager episode!
Neelix and Tuvok rode it all the way up.

Believe it or not, but Star Trek has influenced MUCH of our society in it's own way, since the original series, The Next Generation, and so on. Cell phones? The inventor credits his thought to Star Trek's communicators. A lot of technology from Star Trek is actually based on a lot of Science 'Fact', and Scientific Theory, and a lot of our current technology is based on ideas which were spawned by star trek. Eugene Wesley Roddenberry was a genius, may he rest in peace. Since I was a child, I actually have thought that Star Trek is almost even a type of disclosure of sorts, to what could possibly be done in our own, current time.

Just my own thoughts on this.

By the way, in regards to the OP:

A 'space elevator' would truly be a feat of all mankind. I believe entirely that this is the sort of achievement that all governments SHOULD really push for. It would open up the 'final frontier', so to say. This is a project which could, in fact, unite more people on earth for a very important cause; Gaining a better insight to our own surrounding Solar System, as well as gaining more knowledge about the planet we live on. Good OP!!!

cheers,

Jephers0n

[edit on 24-9-2008 by jephers0n]

what about using a plasma "Z-pinch" type containment system? no cables, just a tube.

all you would need to do is bounce a sound wave through the plasma and you could have propulsion and a continuous stream of people and stuff going up almost like the tubes in futurama. if we could figure out a way to magnetically and sonically manipulate the plasma to a medium that is non lethal to people, then we might be on to something.

elevators are pretty complex, and the scale they are talking about is nearing beyond sound reasoning. plus i bet wind gets pretty violent the higher you get. as your getting pulled up whats to say you wont start getting knocked around like a playground swing?

Wouldn't it be better if the Japanese spend their time developing a StarGate instead?

I mean, to have a long, rigid shaft protruding from the Earth and up into space, through the atmosphere doesn't seem very smart.

All that would be needed to snap it like a strand of thread is nice little gust of wind.
Bits and pieces of that elevator will then scatter all over the world.

Too risky if you ask me.

Imagine the flutter and the vibrations that the cable would make, from the wind. I mean I don't wanna crush the Japanese dreams or anything but what will the cable attach onto? If it's a satelite, the satelite would need a lot of damn fuel to stay in orbit.

Then you have weather issues that you need to worry about, like the build up of ice from the moisture of clouds.

Lightning storms, ummm mechanical failures in general, other planes, missiles, etc :p