technology Support the construction of a space elevator!

[Eenohay 318]

Humm, is this thing really plausible? I have heard people speaking about a space elevator for a long time, and I always thought it was a ridiculous idea

[мσℓт 40]

Humm, is this thing really plausible? I have heard people speaking about a space elevator for a long time, and I always thought it was a ridiculous idea

 

It is not possible for now.

 

I can tell this will be a pain in the ass for people.

 

They'll just be wasting their time.

 

Besides.

 

You guys donate,sure.

 

BUT STILL.

 

THINK OF THIS.

 

THE MONEY FOR THIS PROJECT WILL BE MORE THAN 50 BILLION AS I SAID

 

IF YOU DONATE 50 DOLLARS WHAT WILL THAT DO EXACTLY.

 

IT WON'T EVEN DECREASE IT SO MUCH TO MAKE AT LEAST 49 BILLION

 

Even the richest people of the world cannot afford that.

[Smokin'HotRarity 182]

By the way.

 

Listen,Feldo.

 

This CANNOT BE MADE OUT OF METAL IF YOU THINK SO.

 

You need like 50 air conditioners or even MORE.

 

The sun will just heat up the metal so much that it will become so hot it'll just melt.

 

So this "space elevator" you're making will take about let's say more than 50 billion dollars and so much years that you'll be dead about then maybe.

 

Man cannot make that kind of technology yet.

 

Even Bill Gates can't do that.

 

And I BET not even Steven Hawking knows how to do that.

 

So what are we going to live on a new planet or something once mankind makes it?

 

I don't trust this.

 

If this gets knocked into a star by something and it blows up.

 

YOU all will be responsible for the first black hole in our solar system.

 

So beware with your SO AMAZING project.

 

For it may lead to humanity being extinct.

 

Lawl why would it create a black hole xD. You brought up a good point about the heat though. Are carbon nano-tubes built for that intense heat?

 

Also, the cable does not stretch to the moon. I thought that that at first too.

[Seiji Matsuri 19]

Glitterlicious, I'm on your side. I'm appalled that people think the idea is in any way, shape or form sound. As if the idea of a some sort of superstructure wan't absurd enough, we get on the notion that a counterweight on the end of a cable, tethered to the Earth and held taut through centripetal force is somehow a good idea. Who are these people? The descendants of the engineers who drafted the HMS Titanic?

[Smokin'HotRarity 182]

Glitterlicious, I'm on your side. I'm appalled that people think the idea is in any way, shape or form sound. As if the idea of a some sort of superstructure wan't absurd enough, we get on the notion that a counterweight on the end of a cable, tethered to the Earth and held taut through centripetal force is somehow a good idea. Who are these people? The descendants of the engineers who drafted the HMS Titanic?

 

The Titanic was actually a well built ship. The problem was in the details, the ship itself was great but the crew not so much. And the ship was so great that they decided not to put enough lifeboats in anyway.

[RazzyJam 1,519]

By the way.

 

Listen,Feldo.

 

This CANNOT BE MADE OUT OF METAL IF YOU THINK SO.

 

You need like 50 air conditioners or even MORE.

 

The sun will just heat up the metal so much that it will become so hot it'll just melt.

 

So this "space elevator" you're making will take about let's say more than 50 billion dollars and so much years that you'll be dead about then maybe.

 

Man cannot make that kind of technology yet.

 

Even Bill Gates can't do that.

 

And I BET not even Steven Hawking knows how to do that.

 

So what are we going to live on a new planet or something once mankind makes it?

 

I don't trust this.

 

If this gets knocked into a star by something and it blows up.

 

YOU all will be responsible for the first black hole in our solar system.

 

So beware with your SO AMAZING project.

 

For it may lead to humanity being extinct.

 

I find your lack of the understanding of the universal laws of physics disturbing. Have you read ANY of what was posted before you made any of these ridiculous conjectures?

[Seiji Matsuri 19]

The Titanic was actually a well built ship. The problem was in the details, the ship itself was great but the crew not so much. And the ship was so great that they decided not to put enough lifeboats in anyway.

And the problem with this project is that no matter how well you build it, you're resting the safety of a platform and its occupants on a cable.

 

It's like a game of Dungeons and Dragons.

 

"Cable breaks. EVERYONE DIES."

[RazzyJam 1,519]

And the problem with this project is that no matter how well you build it, you're resting the safety of a platform and its occupants on a cable.

 

It's like a game of Dungeons and Dragons.

 

"Cable breaks. EVERYONE DIES."

 

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~esrabkin/sf/space_elevator.htm

 

I think I shall just leave this here, not just for you, but for anyone who cares to expand their understanding of technological capability and basic physics

[Smokin'HotRarity 182]

http://www-personal....ce_elevator.htm

 

I think I shall just leave this here, not just for you, but for anyone who cares to expand their understanding of technological capability and basic physics

 

Wha...??? a 60,000 mile elevator? Anyway, if the ribbon was cut the people on the elevator would die, but I'm not sure anyone on the spacestation would die.

[RazzyJam 1,519]

Wha...??? a 60,000 mile elevator? Anyway, if the ribbon was cut the people on the elevator would die, but I'm not sure anyone on the spacestation would die.

 

The elevator cable is designed to be practically invincible. We are talking layers of kevlar supported by carbon nano tubing. This thing wont snap unless something EXTREMELY deliberate happens. The only thing that would happen under the unlikely circumstance that hypothetical cable were to break, would be that the station on the end would be put in orbit automagically. Its already in a geosynchronous orbit, so it wont move off its path. The way you get out then would require a rocket rescue mission, or if they plan for such an unlikely disaster, orbital emergency drop pods would be installed. These most likely would have to be in place anyway, considering a fire in space spells out disaster. A drop pod right out of orbit to the surface would be fast, efficient, and controlled, and its not something NASA scientists are all that unfamiliar with.

 

the extra milage is what your counterweight would hang off of. Keep in mind, it wouldn't have to be that massive considering that its inertia is keeping it in place, and the extra length increases its orbital velocity and therefore the inert force. The longer the cable, the smaller the counterweight, the more stable the whole structure is.

 

Now if we want to talk pure scientific fantasies, look into the book "ringworld" The entire solar system is deconstructed for pure resources, and they build a Giant ring with a radius of one Astronomical unit (thats the distance from the earth to the sun MILLIONS of miles) And live on that with artificial day and night cycles using giant cable-stayed panels closer to the star. And this whole superstructure SPINS to create gravity (of course an object of this grandure would have enough mass to simulate a natural gravitational feild). its mind blowing

Edited September 14, 2012 by WingedRatchet

[Master Chief 183]

Really? This is honestly a terrible idea! Has anyone seen this:

 

Building this thing would be nearly impossible and take decades, if not centuries! Not only that, but even with kickstarter the government will NEVER EVER approve this, well not this president anyway. And I'm pretty damn sure that a kickstarter fund won't accumulate over three trillion dollars. If it works, then good! If it doesn't, then it'll be one big clean-up effort. But...

 

"Shoot For The Moon, Even If You Miss You'll Land Among The Stars..."

Edited September 14, 2012 by Master Chief

[Evilshy 5,090]

Most posters in this thread: "I know very little about the subject at hand, but I know better than career scientists and engineers who are risking their money and credibility on this. Because obviously they haven't planned any of this out and are just going to attach a steel cable a foot or two thick to the moon."

 

 

Now, I don't have a problem with ignorance, but I do have a problem with ignorance masquerading as knowledge. PLEASE stop acting like you understand all the physics involved.

And before anyone calls me on it, no, I do NOT claim to know how it's all going to work. But I know enough to know that it's not all that far-fetched.

[Feather Spiral 1,892]

You know, I once wrote some sort of futuristic trilogy in French, where I described a space station linked to Earth by an elevator.

For more stability, the station was put in geostationary orbit (equator level, at the right altitude to make it turn with the planet), close enough for tidal forces to be negligible. I mean, there are plenty of satellites in that zone, some of which (like GPS sats) mustn't move more than a few meters around their position.

For safety, the elevator pit was physically shielded, with protective fields as well. The cars could even navigate in outer space for a short moment and land on Earth in case of emergency.

 

But my novels took place in the future, at a time when space travel is so advanced (ships could go faster than light, and travelled back in time by warping into star cores), acquiring resources from other planets would be a piece of cake.

We're not there yet.

 

We only have our good old Earth, and I think she's already exhausted enough without space elevator, even if it's just with a cable. It'll take precious resources (mostly financial) that won't be available for more urgent, more practical purposes.

Space programs and engineering projects can wait; ecological, medical and humanitarian actions are needed right now. You'll be sacrificing lives, some of them human, to building a machine that MIGHT OR NOT serve once in a blue moon (no pun intended).

 

I entirely disapprove of this, at least until we see better days as a species (and on Earth in general). If you can gather enough funds for a giant project with moderate usefulness, surely you can gather enough money to save the world.

 

Space junk will just keep crashing into it all the time.

At very high speeds and in random directions, too. Space junk isn't like ocean or atmospheric pollution, there's no friction to make trash follow a certain direction.

I know a cable is less likely to be hit than a tower, but considering the density of space trash, I still think it'll be a huge problem. I guess kevlar layers with carbon cables would be hard to resist impacts, but also flexible enough to bend a little under stress, so that's a good idea.

And the problem with this project is that no matter how well you build it, you're resting the safety of a platform and its occupants on a cable.

Since the station would be on geosynchronous orbit, that wouldn't be a problem, if emergency procedures are quick enough. Also, there'd probably be a thinner backup cable or something.

Anyway, if the ribbon was cut the people on the elevator would die, but I'm not sure anyone on the spacestation would die.

Not if elevator cars have emergency procedures, like releasing the cable and crash-landing (preferably into the ocean).

 

Theoretically, we could send any unwanted trash into space. We wouldn't require any electricity or power to do so, because the vacuum at the end of the tube would take care of moving the trash for us.

No, because gravity has been maintaining things (including air) on the planet's surface for billions of years.

There's been vacuum on top of us ever since we appeared on Earth, why should making a tube change anything? The pressure gradient will always be maintained but there'll be no significant air flow, so we'll still need power to send things out into space.

And a REAL Star Trek Enterprise Project!

http://www.buildtheenterprise.org/

Steady as she goes, gentlecolts.

<333

And what we send along the cable is much less likely to inject deadly venom into whoever is at the other end.

Unless you send packages of black widows or desert scorpions. Or

.

Now if we want to talk pure scientific fantasies, look into the book "ringworld" The entire solar system is deconstructed for pure resources, and they build a Giant ring with a radius of one Astronomical unit (thats the distance from the earth to the sun MILLIONS of miles) And live on that with artificial day and night cycles using giant cable-stayed panels closer to the star. And this whole superstructure SPINS to create gravity (of course an object of this grandure would have enough mass to simulate a natural gravitational feild). its mind blowing

Also Dyson spheres, look up Star Trek TNG episode Relics. Edited September 14, 2012 by Feather Spiral

[Smokin'HotRarity 182]

You know, I once wrote some sort of futuristic trilogy in French, where I described a space station linked to Earth by an elevator.

For more stability, the station was put in geostationary orbit (equator level, at the right altitude to make it turn with the planet), close enough for tidal forces to be negligible. I mean, there are plenty of satellites in that zone, some of which (like GPS sats) mustn't move more than a few meters around their position.

For safety, the elevator pit was physically shielded, with protective fields as well. The cars could even navigate in outer space for a short moment and land on Earth in case of emergency.

 

But my novels took place in the future, at a time when space travel is so advanced (ships could go faster than light, and travelled back in time by warping into star cores), acquiring resources from other planets would be a piece of cake.

We're not there yet.

 

We only have our good old Earth, and I think she's already exhausted enough without space elevator, even if it's just with a cable. It'll take precious resources (mostly financial) that won't be available for more urgent, more practical purposes.

Space programs and engineering projects can wait; ecological, medical and humanitarian actions are needed right now. You'll be sacrificing lives, some of them human, to building a machine that MIGHT OR NOT serve once in a blue moon (no pun intended).

 

I entirely disapprove of this, at least until we see better days as a species (and on Earth in general). If you can gather enough funds for a giant project with moderate usefulness, surely you can gather enough money to save the world.

 

At very high speeds and in random directions, too. Space junk isn't like ocean or atmospheric pollution, there's no friction to make trash follow a certain direction.

I know a cable is less likely to be hit than a tower, but considering the density of space trash, I still think it'll be a huge problem. I guess kevlar layers with carbon cables would be hard to resist impacts, but also flexible enough to bend a little under stress, so that's a good idea.

Since the station would be on geosynchronous orbit, that wouldn't be a problem, if emergency procedures are quick enough. Also, there'd probably be a thinner backup cable or something.

Not if elevator cars have emergency procedures, like releasing the cable and crash-landing (preferably into the ocean).

 

No, because gravity has been maintaining things (including air) on the planet's surface for billions of years.

There's been vacuum on top of us ever since we appeared on Earth, why should making a tube change anything? The pressure gradient will always be maintained but there'll be no significant air flow, so we'll still need power to send things out into space.

Steady as she goes, gentlecolts.

<333

Unless you send packages of black widows or desert scorpions. Or

.

Also Dyson spheres, look up Star Trek TNG episode Relics.

 

If you take a tube from here to space it would create a significant pressure difference. The atmosphere is not a tube which is why we aren't sucked into space. The elevator would need a big parachute to safely crash the ocean.

 

How does the ISS deal with spacetrash anyway?

[Evilshy 5,090]

Unless you send packages of black widows or desert scorpions. Or

.

 

Holy shit, that's a game?

I now really want a Wii. Like seriously, I would buy a Wii for that game.

Ok, not really, but still, holy shit that's awesome.

[FALCON PUNCH 244]

lets just hope that there is no slip space ruptures from a alien ship destroying the elevator and it is not called the new Mombasa orbital elevator of the same thing that happened it halo will happen D:

[The Ultimate Brony 35]

I'll like Rainbow Dash was like when she met the Wonderbolts: OMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSH

Well, as you can see I'm a Space Travel nut. I'm pretty excited about this space elevator.

 

And I'm not a Boo(er), but what you are proposing is kinda of far-fetched.

But hey, in this country anything can and will happen, Good Luck.

Edited September 15, 2012 by The Ultimate Brony

[Lady Rarity Pony 4,892]

We completely need a Halo-style space elevator.

 

 

 

 

But seriously, I've always wondered what it would be like to have something that we've only seen in sci-fi movies and games.

[Zoop 8,384]

Really? This is honestly a terrible idea! Has anyone seen this:

I think if a super advanced coalition of alien species brought together with near limitless religious zeal were to attack Earth, the destruction of a space elevator would be the last thing on anyone's mind. :V

[caesar15 231]

Even for sci-fi this is ridiculous. Nasa can barely fund itself as is. Imagine how big the base at the bottom would have to be to support so much weight. It'd have to span miles. The elevator shaft would be 70 miles high, so the elevator would have to be like a casino, complete with vending machines and restaurant to justify the cost and to entertain the people on the way up.

And what they would do in the event of a storm or wind is beyond me. For every construction worker, they'd have to have a space suit just to build the darn thing. I don't think there is an alloy strong enough to support the sheer weight of it. It would collapse on itself at a certain point.

 

To put this in perspective, there is only $44 trillion estimated in the entire world. And I estimated this project to cost $40 trillion.

 

Well if we get obama to spend as much as money as he does now on NASA, it won't take too long if you do the math.

 

But in all seriousness,i heard about this before and it sounds cool.

[SonOfTheNorthe 412]

I'm sorry, but this seems like an enormous waste of time and money.

Not to mention, it's an almost impossible task. And then , what took 30 years to build, could easily be brought down by a single terrorist.

[Zoop 8,384]

I'm sorry, but this seems like an enormous waste of time and money.

Nothing that has any hope of advancing the human race will come easily, or cheaply. I suppose that Large Hadron Collider thingy was also a complete waste of resources?

[Starshine 16,334]

Ho boy... How many money does it take again to build this thing? Billions? Dozens of billions? Maybe fifty billions US dolar? That's like ten zeros! It's impossible! Waste of time! Everyone let's riot!

 

But then again, yearly tax exemption for churches on US alone reached approximately 70 billions each year (not really sure, can't find any good article for this number)

 

What a way to get our priorities right

[Chill Mists (Chilly) 801]

Feld0's a pretty cool guy, he helps build space elevators and doesn't afraid of anything. I love the idea of this, something I thought could only be in science fiction novels.

Edited September 15, 2012 by Chill Mists (Chilly)

[Feather Spiral 1,892]

If you take a tube from here to space it would create a significant pressure difference. The atmosphere is not a tube which is why we aren't sucked into space.

 

How does the presence of a tube change the laws of physics?

Whether the air is enclosed in a tube or freely flowing about, gravity WILL pull it toward the ground. The pressure gradient will be the same inside and outside, the forces (gravity pulling inwards vs pressure+"centripetal" pushing outwards) will be the same, therefore the system will behave the same (i.e: no overall air flow).

Unless the gas inside the tube is different (hot air, near-vacuum, helium...), so you might as well use balloons.

I find your lack of the understanding of the universal laws of physics disturbing.

 

Edited September 15, 2012 by Feather Spiral