Alternative space elevator

[nexium]

Some apparently brilliant people think we can't build the space <br />elevator as Dr. Edwards envisions, so let's analyze some <br />alternatives. Space rated tether may fall short of projections <br />for CNT = carbon nano tube. Segments 3700 kilometers = <br />2200 miles long, 20 micrometers thick, 100,000 micrometers <br />wide = two million square micrometers = 2 square millimeters <br />= 0.02 square centimeters = 0.02 grams per cm length = two <br />grams per meter of tether = 7,400,000 grams of CNT = <br />7.4 metric tones of CNT if the average density is one <br />(same as water).<br /><br /> This permits starting construction as soon <br />as 1% of the required CNT = carbon nano tube is available, <br />even if the CNT is slightly substandard. This can be launched <br />from the space shuttle or several other existing launch systems. <br /><br />Corealis effect will make it more horizontal than vertical, but <br />an ion engine pulling one end to an altitude of 4000 kilometers <br />will make it approximately vertical in a few weeks. Gravity and <br />centripetal force help, but they are slow. A half ton climber <br />can start moving on the tether as soon as the first kilometer <br />has been unwound off the reel. The climber can get its power <br />from surface of Earth lasers just as Dr. Edwards plans, except <br />the solar panel is a moving target. If problems occur at 4000 <br />kilometers, we may have to rethink laser propulsion.<br /><br /> Control of the climber should be temporarily from the<br /> space shuttle as it may be some help in unwinding<br /> the tether. The climber can start adding a thread<br /> before the tether reaches vertical. At 37 kilometers<br /> per hour, average, it will take 100 hours to add one<br /> re-enforcing thread. Hopefully improved models can<br /> lay thread faster.<br /><br /> After the thread is in place the reel will be <br />released making the climber lighter and faster. Fast start <br />and direction reversals will be tested making transients of

 

[grooble]

Bit hard to read, can you paragraph it?

 

[nexium]

I divided it into paragraphs, perhaps not the most logical divisions Neil

 

[nexium]

Hi steve: How can any of us learn unless we get feedback? Please analyze some specific details. I appologizes for being critical of your debate style. I am not skilled at debating.<br />I agree; connecting the segments, so the climbers and elevator don't get a major jolt will be challanging. Neil

 

[nexium]

My thinking is a minor variation on Dr. Hugh Edwards. The 3700 kilometer segment could be rotated, if adding 36 more segments proved impractical or too costly. Stationary is the goal. The speed with respect to Earth's surface would be about 17000 MPH at the low end. It would slow a bit as each segment was added, reaching geo stationary speed (at geo stationary altitude (10,000 mph?) just before adding the last shorter segment in Earth's atmosphere. Total length is 100,000 kilometers/ a bit less if we have lots of ballast near the far end/ a bit more if we have only a little ballast near the far end. I suppose it will stretch several hundred kilometers, depending on the average (RMS?) tension. Tension transients will take days to travel 100,000 kilometers. Neil

 

[chris_in_space]

From what I've understood the error is here: you cannot have at the same time a tether that is orbiting with the top at 4000km altitude and in the same time attach it to the earth. This because the orbital speed at 4000km is several tenth of thousands of km/h while the earth spins at the equator with "only" ~1000km/h. If your 4000km long tether turns with the same speed as the earth, being stationary, then it will fall to the ground since it hasn't the necessary orbital speed. So the only way to make a space elevator in segments is upside down that means from geostationary altitude 36000km towards the ground. Other wise it won't work.<br /><br />Hope the expalantions are clear... <br /><br />PS: I'm still not sure if your idea is to deploy the 4000km tethers from the surface to space or from space to the surface

 

[starter]

How about building solar panels and powerplants on the moon(the material needed for solar panels and nuclear material can be found on the moon)<br /><br />Now the maybe unrealistic part for some... and connect the moon and the earth by some kind of line that can be made magnetic..and make the line magnetic and "sprinkle" the line with metal particles(copper maybe?) which will attach itself to the line because of the magnetic field of the line, so this line becomes thicker and eventually run solar electricity harvested from the moon through this line from the moon surface to the earth (which is much more efficient then here on earth because of the lack of clouds and the lack of an atmosphere) and use part of that electricity for running "space elevators" in a safe way along this same line. <br /><br />This could for one thing provide energy for consumption on earth and for the future lunar base and another consideration is that it will become a cheaper way of transporting material and people from and to the moon. <br />The Point of connection of this line to the earth has to be one of the poles i think...either north or south..because of the orbit of the moon around the earth being east west.<br /><br />This would be such a major endavour that it probebly has to be a global effort...but the need of energy might make alot of states willing to pay an extra energy bill to secure their energy needs for the future and be part of space exploration at the same time.