• Patented 'space elevator' may put astronauts into orbit
    68 replies, posted
[IMG]http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/imagecache/mbdxxlarge/mritems/Images/2015/8/17/b02d82e659d2498cacc23dce14e0d045_18.jpg[/IMG] [QUOTE]A Canadian space company, has been granted the US patent for a space elevator which would take astronauts 20km above Earth so they could then be propelled into orbit. The freestanding space tower would be pneumatically pressurised and be 20 times the height of current tall structures. "Astronauts would ascend to 20km by electrical elevator. From the top of the tower, space planes will launch in a single stage to orbit, returning to the top of the tower for refueling and reflight," said Dr Brendan Quine, the inventor. Announced on Monday in the United States Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) Official Gazette, the tower could also be used for wind-energy generation, communications and tourism. The technology offers an exciting new way to access space using completely reusable hardware and saving more than 30 percent of the fuel of a conventional rocket.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE]The space elevator tower has a segmented elevator core structure, each segment being formed of at least one pneumatically pressurised cell. The pressure cells may be filled with air or another gas. Elevator cars may ascend or descend on the outer surface of the elevator core structure or in a shaft on the interior of the elevator core structure.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE]It has previously been proposed, most famously by Arthur C Clarke in his 1978 novel, The Fountains of Paradise, that a space elevator could be constructed using a cable and counter-balanced mass system.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/patented-space-elevator-astronauts-orbit-150817184915018.html"]http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/patented-space-elevator-astronauts-orbit-150817184915018.html[/URL]
That is way too short to be a space elevator. This is just a really tall regular building and has none of the benefits of an actual space elevator.
We simply don't have the materials to build these yet.
The center of mass must be at geostationary orbit, aka 35768 km. [editline]18th August 2015[/editline] Ninja
The thought of a space elevator seems so... prehistoric, unachievable and not practical at all I don't know, it just doesn't sits right with me.
"the sandmonkey arab and his dogs the pakis and the negroes are already scheming how to blow it up, FACT!" Never change, internet comments.
[QUOTE=kweh;48485868]The thought of a space elevator seems so... prehistoric, unachievable and not practical at all I don't know, it just doesn't sits right with me.[/QUOTE] Do you use stairs regularly? because those are fairly prehistoric, and they work perfectly. The thing with space elevators is that they decrease the cost of launching a Kg of material into orbit so much that it would be actually affordable for almost everyone.
[QUOTE=thrawn2787;48485831]That is way too short to be a space elevator. This is just a really tall regular building and has none of the benefits of an actual space elevator.[/QUOTE] You should go and tell them that.
Space slingshot is more worth it
I'm afraid wind would just wreck it.
[QUOTE=kweh;48485868]The thought of a space elevator seems so... prehistoric, unachievable and not practical at all I don't know, it just doesn't sits right with me.[/QUOTE] If any of that were true they wouldn't be seriously considering constructing one. And prehistoric? Wat
I'm constantly afraid that if one of these things were build they would fall over and cause untold amounts of damage.
[QUOTE=shozamar;48485918]You should go and tell them that.[/QUOTE] I'm sure the inventor knows. But whoever is marketing this as a "space elevator" is kind of a twat. If you jumped off the top of a space elevator you'd be in orbit. If you jumped off this thing you'd fall to your death. [editline]18th August 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=megafat;48486042]I'm constantly afraid that if one of these things were build they would fall over and cause untold amounts of damage.[/QUOTE] For actual space elevators it depends on where it breaks. It could fall and wrap around the earth a few times or it could go flying out into space.
I would just want to stand at the bottom and look up. spare me the explanation of why i couldnt please dont kill my dreams
Admittedly I don't know that much about construction and architecture, but.. I agree with most people in this thread, a 20km tall structure just doesn't seem feasible. For instance, what is going to keep this from being torn apart by: 1. gravity 2. speed of the earth's rotation comparing the distance travelled per minute at the summit to the distance travelled per minute at the base 3. wind factors 4. the fact that its a 20 km long noodle stretching into the outer atmosphere. Also, some challenges that may be impossible to overcome: 1. the centre of gravity of the structure itself will be different at its base than its summit 2. even if they figure out the centre of gravity, counterbalancing a 20 km long (basically) pole 3. achieving structural integrity to the point of being a load bearing transportation vehicle. I'm pretty sure they are just patenting ideas in case someone in the future comes along with a new material that is strong enough to literally withstand a planet whipping it around.
Space planes. SPACE PLANES! I hope someone got Elon Musk on the phone.
This definitely needs a spiral staircase going up the middle.
[QUOTE=Levelog;48486160]This definitely needs a spiral staircase going up the middle.[/QUOTE]with see through steel grate stairs
[QUOTE=thrawn2787;48486071]I'm sure the inventor knows. But whoever is marketing this as a "space elevator" is kind of a twat. If you jumped off the top of a space elevator you'd be in orbit. If you jumped off this thing you'd fall to your death. [editline]18th August 2015[/editline] For actual space elevators it depends on where it breaks. It could fall and wrap around the earth a few times or it could go flying out into space.[/QUOTE] Technically you wouldn't be in orbit if you jumped off a space elevator, you wouldn't be going fast enough.
[QUOTE=Alxnotorious;48486157]Space planes. SPACE PLANES! I hope someone got Elon Musk on the phone.[/QUOTE] Actually, there's a British company who would be more appropriate to contact. [QUOTE=HybridTheroy;48486283]Technically you wouldn't be in orbit if you jumped off a space elevator, you wouldn't be going fast enough.[/QUOTE] If the elevator was at GSO you'd be fine.. any shorter and you would need a nudge.
[QUOTE=Bradyns;48486302] If the elevator was at GSO you'd be fine.. any shorter and you would need a nudge.[/QUOTE] That large of an elevator wouldn't even be sane.
[QUOTE=HybridTheroy;48486404]That large of an elevator wouldn't even be sane.[/QUOTE] I don't really know what you mean by sane, we went to the moon dude. Besides, it would just be a very long cable. The only thing we need to do this is strong enough a material to do the cable out of, which we haven't found yet.
Waste of time. The Bogdanovists will blow it up.
[QUOTE=_Axel;48486424]I don't really know what you mean by sane, we went to the moon dude. Besides, it would just be a very long cable. The only thing we need to do this is strong enough a material to do the cable out of, which we haven't found yet.[/QUOTE] We have a pretty good idea of what we'd need to use, but it'd be so obscenely expensive to produce even a tiny fraction of the needed materials that we're pretty much forced to wait for more efficient production methods. In addition to that there's the issue of getting the car to travel up and down the line fast enough, especially if there are humans onboard. Regular elevator speeds simply won't cut it over that distance.
[QUOTE=_Axel;48486424]I don't really know what you mean by sane, we went to the moon dude. Besides, it would just be a very long cable. The only thing we need to do this is strong enough a material to do the cable out of, which we haven't found yet.[/QUOTE] well we have csrbon nanotubes which would probably be strong enough we just can't mass produce it.
The first airplane accident or terrorist attack and it falls apart, as everybody has previously pointed out, until we have some sort of way to feasibly construct a sturdy enough system to prevent things like airplanes blowing the thing up I don't think it will ever be attempted. It would be too expensive to risk against something like that.
Whatever happened to that one new method of throwing rockets up through the atmosphere, by using magnets? I remember some chinese student found out and patened this idea.
[QUOTE=_Axel;48486424]I don't really know what you mean by sane, we went to the moon dude. Besides, it would just be a very long cable. The only thing we need to do this is strong enough a material to do the cable out of, which we haven't found yet.[/QUOTE] impossible (currently)and redundant, not sane.
[QUOTE=_Axel;48486424]I don't really know what you mean by sane, we went to the moon dude. Besides, it would just be a very long cable. The only thing we need to do this is strong enough a material to do the cable out of, which we haven't found yet.[/QUOTE] As it turns out, going to the moon is easier than building a 20 kilometre high structure
[QUOTE=GlebGuy;48486868]Whatever happened to that one new method of throwing rockets up through the atmosphere, by using magnets? I remember some chinese student found out and patened this idea.[/QUOTE] You mean a railgun? IIRC there's too much air friction for it to be a viable method. It would work pretty well on bodies without an atmosphere like the moon though. [editline]18th August 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=paul simon;48486924]As it turns out, going to the moon is easier than building a 20 kilometre high structure[/QUOTE] I thought we were talking about an actual space elevator?
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