Re: space elevator

["Technician" <technician@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yes, there are several sites on the web regarding the space elevator. From
this link http://www.niac.usra.edu/studies/ you can find articles about half
way down the article list regarding the elevator. Plus other links to other
reports.

I think that for hauling up cargo and such, its probably a good idea, but I
would not trust the thing to ferry up people. Imagine if the cable snapped
or broke away from the satellite in orbit keeping the thing in place. DOWN
SHE COMES! I wonder where all that cable will coil up at? On top of a major
city? Or crash down into the ocean and cause a tsunami? Pray that doesnt
happen with people in the box!

But there are extensive studies into the idea. I personally think for
hauling up cargo, its a good idea. But for people transport, I think that
Boeing's research into anit-gravity would be far more practical and safe
than flinging up some heavy cable.

As to a "rope hanging down", dont forget about the NASA teather experiment,
where NASA drug a very long, 12 mile long teather behind the shuttle and
drug it thru the upper atmosphere to gather energy. Well, it worked, so good
that the teather broke away. It gathered up so much energy it simply broke
from the mount on the shuttle and away it went. Dont know if this would
happen with an elevator cable, but what kind of ground structure would be
needed to support such a long and extremely heavy cable? What kind of
thruster system would be required on the satellite or space station tied to
this thing while weight and pull vary as the elevator goes up and down, plus
the varying wind layers in the atmosphere pulling and tugging on the cable.
That poor satellite would be having to work itself to death just to stay in
one spot!

But there are FAQ's about the system that explain all that. Good hunting. :)


-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew George <ageorge3@bigpond.net.au>
To: orbiter@firedrake.org <orbiter@firedrake.org>
Date: Wednesday, December 18, 2002 2:23 PM
Subject: Re: space elevator


On Thu, 19 Dec 2002 05:26, Technician wrote:
> Oh dear. A space elevator. By chance did this idea spring from the current
> NASA plans to actually try to do this in real life?
>
> NASA is currently looking at this idea as a means to reduce the cost of
> sending up supplies and crews to the ISS.
>
> There are alot of members in the Anomalies communities BBS that are split
> on this idea with NASA. Some say its too risky, such a long cable and too
> many variables, others believe its a viable idea and safe.
>
> Sounds fun, but Ill stick to my Centurion craft and not be tied by a rope
> to mother Earth. :)

A full space elevator?
Weird, I thought they'd had some success a few years back with the flinger
concept - thats basically a line that goes down to upper atmosphere and
rotates around a point in GEO so a shuttle could attach and use the things
rotational momentum to boost it to Low Earth Orbiit or reel it in to get to
GEO.
Personally I thought that would have at least some advantages and
disadvantages but nothing that seemed totally insurmountable. Mind you my
information is a couple of yours out of date, so I'm most likely wrong.

Any web references to the new elevator idea?...that would be an interesting
read

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