space elevator is a lol?

CaptainComedy

CaptainComedy

CaptainComedy

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is it really so funny?

I dont see why they consider it funny? surely its safer than strapping a rocket to your ship and burning 100 tons of fuel when a single laser beam of laser energy can project you to the international space station? I mean solar panels in space sending energy to earth would be a great way to generate energy etc etc. lots of possibilities from a direct link to space.
 
ya think of the money nasa would save with one of these? and those on the space station could get days off :p really dont see how this is a "funny" idea :p
 
You would have to be gutted if it went of-course though :D

I think it is feasable but i would never try it.
 
Could see it being too tempting a target for one extremist group or another. I certainly wouldn't go in it.
 
These vids are kind of interesting. I don't think I've ever seen a true artist concept of it before. I've always imagined it as just a thin stick shooting 100,000 km into the air with little robots clinging to the outside. :o
 
don't know where the "funny" thing came from - this has been around in serious scientific circles for years.

However...

I am a bit confused by some of the physics - can someone explain it to me please.

The elevator is actually suspended from a space tether rather than built up from the ground as I understand it. If a load goes up the string it will need energy to raise it up through the earths gravitational potential. Is this where the laser beams come in. If robots "climb" the string then the space station end is going to have to use rockets or some sort of propulsion system to maintain orbit.
 
EffBee said:
don't know where the "funny" thing came from - this has been around in serious scientific circles for years.

However...

I am a bit confused by some of the physics - can someone explain it to me please.

The elevator is actually suspended from a space tether rather than built up from the ground as I understand it. If a load goes up the string it will need energy to raise it up through the earths gravitational potential. Is this where the laser beams come in. If robots "climb" the string then the space station end is going to have to use rockets or some sort of propulsion system to maintain orbit.
Click to expand...

wouldnt the station be pulled along by both gravitational pull as well as being clamped to earth? another questionable factor would be turbulence and weather conditions
 
Yes, the space-bound end would indeed need propulsive capability both for stability and orbital maintenance. Even the ISS space station needs a re-boost every month or two. Without that, the last vestiges of atmosphere even at that altitude would be sufficient to slow the station down to the point that it would re-enter.

One other problem no-one seems to have addressed is that the orbital altitude they're talking about requires a far from geo-stationary orbit to maintain altitude. Indeed they're talking a fair bit less than ISS altitude, and that has a 90-minute orbital period.
 
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codec said:
wouldnt the station be pulled along by both gravitational pull as well as being clamped to earth? another questionable factor would be turbulence and weather conditions
Click to expand...
Have the Earth-end seabound, thus you can 'move' it away from storm fronts etc.
 
What I dont understand is things like the ISS are orbiting the earth every 45 minutes travelling at 18,000 mph or something, so even if it worked I cannot see how you would get the items onto the spacestation ! as this requuires a fixed point. I suppose they could start up spacelink for the final deliveries from the lift platfrom but they would probably just leave a note saying it has been delivered and nick all the good stuff like oxygen etc :p
 
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