Could we pull the moon to Earth with a long chain

This is the type of stuff that's usually in my head when I wake up in the middle of the night at 3am or so. I was actually not going to post it on here in case it was possible and then I would be the reason for the end of life on Earth.

I didn't realize the moon was hundreds of thousands of miles away though, I figured it would just be a little longer than a "Space Elevator" but it would need to be hundreds times longer than one of those.

But it's still along the same lines, like how about we put a long cable system on the ISS and drop it to Earth, then when they need some grub they just hoist it up. That shouldn't need to be more than a couple hundreds miles right?

And no I didn't come up with this question from playing a video game, as one of the above posters said. I had about 5 massize maragritas last night and I guess this was part of the effect (as well as a nasty hangover).

Yeah but isn't inertia in a certain sense "free" energy? I think it could be done but the effects of it would put earth into a tailspin.

Not read any replies but think about how you would go about doing this. Would you take the chain from an attached point on the earth and fly it to the moon? Or vice-versa? But you have to remember that both of these are turning every minute of the day! So you would have to keep this so called chain suspended until you could connect it to its fixed destination.

Seems a silly idea and I think the meaning of your thread was more on the fact that should we be afraid of the moon? And I think the answer to that is yes. Considering the effect it has on Earth.

[EDIT after reading a few of the above posts]: On another note, could we have anything cutting through our atmosphere like that without it burning up?

[edit on 22-2-2009 by Lee_K]

Since the moon is always facing us in the exact same direction, we would attach the chain to the moon first. It would then be sent to Earth and once it starts feeling the effect of gravity would sort of steer itself straight down. Then we would wait until the Earth rotates to the point where we would attach it and then connect it. The Earth's rotation would do the work for us as someone else pointed out, and start winding the chain around, destroying anything in it's path if it were strong enough. I dont think the atmosphere would do anything to the chain as it would be lowered slowly to Earth, so no friction.

I think that makes sense? Except the "why" part. Would be foolish...

Sorry, no, there is no material which currently exists which would hold the weight of it's own length without snapping.

Why move the moon. Whats the point. Its fine where it is. Not to mention moving it would probably balls up everything here on earth. However, If this were possible, If there was someway of moving planets. Then wouldnt it be a better idea to move mars into the habitable zone? I bet someone out there has already pondered that one. That id like to see

Originally posted by Matt.Trakker
Then wouldnt it be a better idea to move mars into the habitable zone?

Mars has a lot more problems than the "habitable zone"... Mars has no magnetic field to shield it from the solar wind — its exposed side is thoroughly irradiated. Mars doesn't have enough mass to retain a friendly atmosphere — you can't just pump more atmosphere to Mars, because it doesn't have the gravity to hold it. Besides, recent discoveries suggest that the surface soil of Mars may be poisonous to life.

If anything lives on Mars, it's well below the surface. Which is where we'd end up, too, if we tried to colonize it.

— Doc Velocity

Thanks for posting this. You made my day!

I know you're only half joking. But it's such a cool and funny idea. I love the audacity of it. I doubt we could though.

Whenever I am depressed I will think of this thread.

reply to post by salsaking


unless we find some amazing new metal in the near future, the chain would break under its own weight while in our atmosphere, i can remember seeing a documentary about putting a chain or a rope or an elevator to satellites ( and the ISS and they concluded unless we have some out of this world material anything we have now or in the foreseeable future would not be able to work.

Connect the earth to the moon with a chain ??
are you crazy?
I mean what next for god sake,i suppose you have a lunatic plan
to put 3 men in a rocket and land them on the moon.
i dunno sometimes......people eh

reply to post by Doc Velocity


I know I heard a fact once that if you wanted to repel into the Grand Canyon, to have just enough rope to support you all the way down would have to be hauled in, in one and half dumptrucks.

Rotations aside though, would it really matter what the size and weight of the chain is in space? We would just need the tough stuff to get out of the atmosphere, right?

lol, this is a fun post I like it...
NO way, even with the thickest titanium steel chains achievably made by man and any factory on earth, would break...Gravitational forces between the earth and moon soon enough, would snap it.

No you cannot, because the Moon would open up and its occupants would kill us all prematurely for even trying such a stupid feat.

Ever wonder why the Moon is called just "Moon" ?

Other Moons have names. The most important one of all has none.

Beware the Moon.

Reminds me of that film with Jim Carey, where he becomes god, and lasso's the moon up to bring it closer! lol.

i dont think it would be possible at all.
Even if we had a chain that long

Why?
Because you are assuming the earth is locked and spinning.
It would pull us to the moon as much as we pull it toward us..
And mess up or stop our turning planet

Nop but we are much bigger than the moon. And it is the 1 orbiting us. So we would have the greater pull.

i point you here my friends for a bit more info on chains in space!

www.popsci.com...

this would be very helpful as for my birthday this year my lovely wife purchased an acre of land on the moon to which i have the official deeds and all mining rights so all i need to do now is get there!

edit to add don't forget the moon is moving away from us at the rate of 3 and a half centimetres a year so you've got to slow it down and stop it first before you reel it in!

[edit on 24-2-2009 by Neilc1972]

[edit on 24-2-2009 by Neilc1972]

We are thinking big chain, what about a really, really, really thin chain. Made from alternating quarks and gluons? The chain would have virtually no mass and the length of the chain could be adjusted to bring the moon closer by adding or removing quarks and gluons. The nuclear force should be stronger than gravity? Is there a Physicist in the house?

Although building a chain from quarks and gluons might present difficulties as would keeping the chain together beyond a few nanoseconds.

If one chain wasn't enough, how about weaving a quark, gluon and spandex bungee cord? Also that French 'Spiderman' chap could climb it - now that's a challenge!

Originally posted by Neilc1972
i point you here my friends for a bit more info on chains in space!

www.popsci.com...

this would be very helpful as for my birthday this year my lovely wife purchased an acre of land on the moon to which i have the official deeds and all mining rights so all i need to do now is get there!

edit to add don't forget the moon is moving away from us at the rate of 3 and a half centimetres a year so you've got to slow it down and stop it first before you reel it in!

[edit on 24-2-2009 by Neilc1972]

[edit on 24-2-2009 by Neilc1972]

Out of curiosity how much did that cost you!?

I saw this video a couple of weeks ago. Apperently old kims gonna try it...LOL

I love ONN.