Space Elevator

One thing that's not very clear to me.
The space elevator sounds like a great idea... Just one little problem i see: ho do they get around the LEO space junk problem effectively?
I read an article saying they could move ( oscillate ) the cable in order to keep it from being hit by the space junk...
The way i see it i think they must come up with a solution for the junk, and for the tracking of smaller items they don't track but that it could possible create very serious damage, even catastrophic for the elevator...

Once they figure these issues out, it really could be something that accelerates our exploration of space, until then, either i'm missing something or it sounds like a deal breaker...

Cheers

If they created stronger material that could witstand space junk, (which I'm pretty sure they have) then they could easily make it happen. No one wants to give up money for the production though.

Personally, all the "space junk" talk is bull to me. Certain materials that we have now I think could do a decent job of stopping them. I mean, when we we're in space repairing the hubble, how come nothing went through the repairmens space suits?

Originally posted by shasa
One thing that's not very clear to me.
The space elevator sounds like a great idea... Just one little problem i see: ho do they get around the LEO space junk problem effectively?
I read an article saying they could move ( oscillate ) the cable in order to keep it from being hit by the space junk...
The way i see it i think they must come up with a solution for the junk, and for the tracking of smaller items they don't track but that it could possible create very serious damage, even catastrophic for the elevator...

Once they figure these issues out, it really could be something that accelerates our exploration of space, until then, either i'm missing something or it sounds like a deal breaker...

Cheers

since the Op didn't include
a link to what the threads about


I'm gonna go ahead
and leave my own for
what I think the topic
of discussion is about....

OP correct me if I'm wrong
How a Space Elevator Works
& a more recent 1
Japans Space Ladder going up

If they created stronger material that could witstand space junk, (which I'm pretty sure they have) then they could easily make it happen. No one wants to give up money for the production though.

Personally, all the "space junk" talk is bull to me. Certain materials that we have now I think could do a decent job of stopping them. I mean, when we we're in space repairing the hubble, how come nothing went through the repairmens space suits?

at 28.000 km/h, the LEO speed, any impact will be catastrophic, given that the cable will be still, o i don't think it's a matter of materials used....

reply to post by shasa


Let's just let this thing die. If the Japanese want to spend money and effort on it fine.
After all, we have the triangles. "We don't need no stinkin' bridges...."

Originally posted by Vandettas
If they created stronger material that could witstand space junk, (which I'm pretty sure they have) then they could easily make it happen. No one wants to give up money for the production though.

Personally, all the "space junk" talk is bull to me. Certain materials that we have now I think could do a decent job of stopping them. I mean, when we we're in space repairing the hubble, how come nothing went through the repairmens space suits?

Hubble? How long ago was that?! There have been hundreds, if not a thousand or so more satellites go up since then, not to mention the dead ones that are considered junk....

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The space elevator is a joke ... it would have to be non conductive otherwise you'd have the mother of all discharges ..
didn't they learn anything from the tether incident ?

Those couplings were vaporized .

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