Obvious advantages to Carbon in some terms
Space elevators have been considered as a method for reaching space for hundreds of years, one of the earliest references being that of the Tower of Babel in Genesis: a tower with its top in the heavens.
Not my image - click to go to the original.
In the 20th Century, this was considered an appealing way of reaching the stars without the need for rockets, a method of allowing anyone access to the space where geostationary satellites live. A space where the force of the Earth’s gravity has no effect. That’s 33,000km!
So how do elevator’s work? Basically, an elevator (or lift in the UK) allows a cabin to be pulled up a rope, typically by use of a counterweight – weight goes down, lift goes up and vice versa (beautifully explained here). In the early part of the 21st Century, we use these for transporting people and objects between floors by use of electromechanical motors. Archimedes managed similar feats by use of man or horse power.
Of course, to manage this, the elevator cable needs to be able to withstand huge forces including its own weight. Currently carbon seems an obvious material to use, in the form of nanotubes. Carbon is in plentiful supply on earth (indeed could this be a good way to lock away the spare carbon in our atmosphere?) and when formed into nano tubes are light but exceptionally strong. Indeed the carriage could be made from woven nano-tubes to form a strong yet light means of transporting people.
The motors required for the structure would just need to lift the people rather than the carriage (the carriage could be produced to lift 2 people at around 65 kg). But once the lift is in operation, the loads could be balanced to require very little energy though the solar concentrators would be a good place to generate the initial power.
There are other considerations too: how could you ensure planes and birds do not hit the cable, protect the cable and carriage from damage from the elements, ensure this would safely work and that once up there, travel and experiments are enabled – otherwise it’s just a fair ground ride.
I have to say, this isn’t a business proposal just some thoughts given what exists today. It seems this is much closer to being achieved than ever before. I am not sure technically how difficult the carriage would be to produce to enable human beings to survive the journey (air tight, air supply, water, boredom, radiation etc) but is this something that could be achieved in the next 30 years?
Posted: June 30th, 2011 under 42.