Space elevator

[Tierbook]

Just saw this on yahoo. So how long do you guys think it will be till something like this is up and running

[Silhouette of Seraphim]

10, 15 years at least.

[Spectral]

I don't think it will happen in my lifetime, but I'd absolutely love to be wrong.

edit - To be clear, it's a funding issue. While there are numerous technical challenges, I'd be confident in our ability to solve them if our science wasn't funded like shit compared to our war machine.

[Grizzly Willy]

10, 15 years at least.

I think at the earliest is a better estimation. This isn't exactly a new concept, and I remember seeing talks of this a couple years ago. I don't see it happening any time soon.

Would like to be wrong, though.

[Terahertz]

How would that even work? Would the like.. literally attach the cables to the moon? Wouldn't that interfere with the rotation of the earth and moon? xD (Sorry, haven't read the article)

[Galloways]

In other words, it is the gateway towards colonizing the solar system.

What we really need to get in order to colonize solar systems is a rainbow bridge.



But preferably one that's not broken.

[Silhouette of Seraphim]

I think at the earliest is a better estimation.

That's what I meant, yes.

[haxartus]

The cables can't support their own weight. I don't think that an Earth space elevator will happen any time soon.

[Reeve]

Probably not in our lifetimes. We don't have sufficiently strong materials. If there were a revolution in materials science tomorrow and we could suddenly mass produce materials stronger than carbon nanotubes, maybe, but I don't see that as likely.

[Daelak]

I don't think it will happen in my lifetime, but I'd absolutely love to be wrong.

edit - To be clear, it's a funding issue. While there are numerous technical challenges, I'd be confident in our ability to solve them if our science wasn't funded like shit compared to our war machine.

Once we learn how to mass produce carbon nanotubes, a space elevator might become more of a realistic option, for now though, we are quite a ways away.

[Hexotic]

Gundam 00, really good example of what an happen if this actually happened.

[Mister K]

Probably not in our lifetimes. We don't have sufficiently strong materials. If there were a revolution in materials science tomorrow and we could suddenly mass produce materials stronger than carbon nanotubes, maybe, but I don't see that as likely.

What is our lifetime? I am 18 and I betcha by 2050 (unless I die earlier) it will happen. There are going to be HUGE breakthroughs between now and 2050

[haxartus]

Even carbon nanotubes weight too much for a space elevator.

[Deleted]

I bet we even wont see a man on mars in next 50 years, feels like the technology progress (not talking about computers) has been as stagnant as it possible (how on earth we still use gas!).

[Reeve]

What is our lifetime? I am 18 and I betcha by 2050 (unless I die earlier) it will happen. There are going to be HUGE breakthroughs between now and 2050

I'm only about 11 years older than you, but I don't think we're going to have a space elevator in 2050.

---------- Post added 2012-08-27 at 04:20 PM ----------

Even carbon nanotubes weight too much for a space elevator.

It's not so much the weight as the tensile strength in the middle. Gravity reduces the farther away from Earth you go, and at some point, you have the mass of both the cable/ribbon and the counterweight pulling against Earth gravity. It ends up being a question of the levels of stress in the middle of the cable.

[pouca]

Space elevator will be built when we need to send to space a lot of materials (probably mega tons, it can be calculated) for any future purpose, untill that moment rockets are cheapper.
This will not happen before a long time I think...

We also have to make some improvements for some specific technologies in materials science, but it won't take long on the contrary

Space elevator is a perfect and realistic idea, made up many years ago.

[Deleted]

Around 50 years or so.

[kosuko]

Extrapolating from the technological advancement during the last 20 years, I predict that by 2100 we'll have achieved nothing in the area of spacetravel. Yet we'll walk around with awesome, lasershooting, foodproducing mobile phones with a teleport function.

Unless ofcourse, Apple decides to use their fresh 1 billion dollars to build said space elevator.

[Tierbook]

most of the reason i linked that was because of the kickstarter link it had they have already doubled thier goal

[Belize]

I hope to one day ride in an orbital elevator (sorry, it just sounds better than "space elevator").

I also can't wait for that call for homesteaders to Mars .

The "orbital elevator" made me think of how the Covenant are going to do a slipspace jump in New Mombassa and ruin our elevator :<