Inflatable tower to space

[RogerInHawaii]

NewScientist has an interesting article about an idea for an inflatable tower to space, an alternative to the tether approach.

See it here: http://www.newscientist.com/article...e-tower-could-climb-to-the-edge-of-space.html

 

[quantumnumber]

That is a cool article. 15 kilometers high, wow! "failure of a few modules would not cause the whole structure to collapse." How is this? I would think that since this structure is so tall, that it could easily be ruined if a few modules failed.

 

[crazyeddie]

NewScientist has an interesting article about an idea for an inflatable tower to space, an alternative to the tether approach.

Well, I'm not sure I'd call it an "alternative" to a space elevator, since it would only reach the edge of space and would not be capable of putting spacecraft into orbit without an additional launch vehicle.......but it is a fascinating idea that deserves more study, for sure!