Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/08/20/could-we-actually-build-a-spac.html
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Not yet.
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The material science is certainly up there on the list of challanges. The larger problem, tbough, is political. Its going to take a longer attention span than currently exists to follow through to the end of such a scheme. Seeing how well we’re handling the sniffles, I am pessimistic.
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Every time I read about space elevators I think how incredible they would be. Then I remember the moment in Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars Trilogy when
someone severs the cable during a war and it wraps itself around the equator multiple times causing unbelievable carnage
and I think “nope.”
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Music is obviously Also sprach Zarathustra on a loop.
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Could we actually build a space elevator?
What, now?
Later perhaps? And on Mars?
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I’d like to hear the elevator pitch for building this.
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you have to get really high first
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This is actually not likely to be any problem. Space elevator cables need to be extremely light - suggestions are something like 1 m wide ribbons of nanotubes. thinner than paper. Should the cable snap and fall, it will burn up in the atmosphere.
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"Then comes the tough part. Steel won’t cut it for the cable. Kevlar and carbon nanotubes are better. Maybe biomimicked spider web?
Also, could we cure cancer? The short answer is, yes it is possible. The tough part is, known medicines won’t cut it. We will need to find a cure for cancer. Maybe some sort of cure for cancer?
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It is left as a problem for the student to calculate the mass of CO2 produced as this cable burns up in the atmosphere
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Not exactly the same, but the challenges would be similar.
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I was lloking for a Muzak version of Helter Skelter but this could play on a loop - it’s gonna be a long ride.
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Came here for ‘Girl from Ipanema’. Was Not Disappointed.
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Since the cable would have to be equatorial, it would hopefully smash right through all those thousands of mini-sats people are using to junk up the night skies.
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