Space Elevator

So what's your opinion on this matter?

I can certainly say that this project isn't going to come into existence in the near future, but it certainly would be an interesting idea. Maybe then it'd help us more easily to travel to Mars or other planets

 

I heard about this. If they ever go through with this project it's going to be immensely costly. It's a very possible idea, but at this point in time I'm not certain we have the resources or materials to construct such a device. Don't get me wrong the amount in cost it would save us in the long run would pay off. At the same time what bothered me was nothing was mentioned about cost to upkeep said device. The main portion being the tether & elevator. I can only begin to imagine the dangers or repairing or replacing damaged or broken components. Lastly this just crossed my mind but it's shadow would cast the biggest known shadow from any structure known on Earth wouldn't it? Well if this space elevator ever goes into production it likely won't happen for the next several decades due to not having strong enough materials.

 

Scientists just recently had a breakthrough with a new material called carbyne. If we keep developing newer and stronger materials, in theory a space elevator could be very feasible one day.

Link to an article about it, if anyone is interested: http://inhabitat.com/scientists-have-finally-made-a-substance-thats-even-stronger-than-graphene/

 

That's quite the breakthrough. Still kinda skeptic though. The article only says they managed to develop a stable version and not having replicated the same result a multitude of times, although I'm sure they had replicated this many times over. If not then at least there on the right path. Even with this I don't know if it's possible to make a space elevator. In theory I feel it's strong enough, but the other underlying concern I have is how well it'll withstand abuse from the radiation, atmospheric pressure, among countless other variables. Right now there are so many variables involved. As of right now I'm actually opposed to the idea, at least building one on Earth. As for putting one on the moon I say go for it. The potential risk of failure is greatly diminished due to less gravity and a lower atmospheric pressure. Radiation factor though iv'e no idea. To make it short the carbyne material seems strong enough although feel it needs to be tested further.

 

It's great on paper, but we'll need to develop better technology before we reach that stage. We'll need to be able to generate artificial gravity so things don't just start floating about. We'll also need a better source of energy. Coal, gas, nuclear, solar, and wind isn't just going to cut it anymore. Something along the lines of fusion, unless we can generate a lot more power from solar energy than what we are currently able to store. If we ever reach a point where solar power can actually rival the power of coal and gas energy, we'll be better off. Coal and gas can only last for so long before it's completely depleted. We need to figure out more powerful sources of energy, that doesn't require us to burn natural resources that aren't an easily renewable, before we even consider building a space elevator.

We'll also need a clear goal for it and most importantly, leave it out of the control of militaristic government, including the United States. It can be easily used as a means for dominance over other countries, so countries like Switzerland who have proven to be the most neutral country are more of a viable overseers of such a project. It doesn't mean no other countries can assist in building it, but as far as guarding it and protecting it from abuse, the Swiss by far have the best record for staying neutral and not try to weaponize everything.

 

Reminds me of this game


I'm not sure I see a point to it though. By the time you have the tech to build one wouldn't it be easier to find an alternative way to launch stuff into space?
That rail gun technology is making waves, I can see that as a way to launch stuff up there free of pollution.

 

Depends on what they intend to use the space elevator for. If it's to rapidly move heavy objects from Earth to space, railgun technology may not be efficient (or ideal). Especially if those heavy objects are intended to be used as building material for newer spaceships, space ports, etc. Or even just moving people. That would be a disaster using railguns to transport people. We might not have teleportation technology, which would be the biggest and most efficient way to transport materials and people to and from space. However, if we do discover teleportation technology before we even build the space elevator, then we end up saving trillions of money by skipping over it, but it depends on how they make it work. We could use Stargate SG-1 as an example. Asgard teleportation was point of reference but there didn't have to be a receiving device for it to work, but the stargates used point-to-point addresses and both portals had to be operational and exist, it also used wormholes to transport matter from one location to the dialed location.

 

Well like I said, it's all still theoretical at this point. Carbyne itself may not even be enough, and even if it is, it may be too costly to manufacture on the scale of a space elevator. It's too early to say.

 

Hmm good point, actually it would be far more efficient for something already in space to do the space constructoin stuff. A direct access to it would sure beat launching materials over and over.

Although I could see a use for launching shuttles and satellites via a rail gun. Would definitely cut the cost of those launches in the mean time.

 

This is a good idea but if it goes wrong it would be a disaster.

 

True. Both financially and literally. It'd be quite a challenge to have any more trips into space if the cable were to be stuck in orbit

 

If the project flopped I'd predict a recession as companies go bust and countries see no return on a vast sink of resources and their debt increases.

If the cable snapped it could fly off into space with counter weight or become a major obstruction to space travel and a block to international travel as well as necesitating regions near or bellow being evacuated.

If the counterweight breaks in such a way a bit comes off it may fall to earth lacking the mass to counter balance the result would not be good and may even be an extinction event for carious earth species.

 

"THE HUMANS OF EARTH SUCCEED IN CONSTRUCTING A SPACE ELEVATOR. $200 TRILLION, 25 YEARS, 176,000 WORKERS, 74 FATAL ACCIDENTS, AND THE ONE PASSENGER OCCUPANCY ELEVATOR IS A SUCCESS."
...
Humans will continue to survive because we would make a good farce for the aliens to watch.