OT: About Space Elevators

geoschmo · #1 October 9th, 2002, 07:28 PM

If something like this gets built I can really see it become some sort of "Holy Grail" for those base jumping lunatics that climb tall buildings and parachute off of them.

Arkcon · #2 October 9th, 2002, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by geoschmo:
If something like this gets built I can really see it become some sort of "Holy Grail" for those base jumping lunatics that climb tall buildings and parachute off of them.

Oh, you want to know about jumping from space do you. Well, try this OT link

sachmo · #3 October 9th, 2002, 08:26 PM

Ok, here is what space.com has to say about the space elevator...

http://www.space.com/businesstechnol..._020327-1.html

geoschmo · #4 October 9th, 2002, 09:43 PM

I was born on July 7th, 1969. Nine days later Apollo 11 was launched.

For the first time since I realised my poor eyesight was going to prevent my childhood dream of becoming an astronaut, I have a real hope of making it into space in my lifetime. Maybe by the time I retire, I can take a vacation on the moon, or at least stay a week in an orbital hotel.

This is really exciting stuff.

Geoschmo

Wardad · #5 October 9th, 2002, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wardad:
Will it survive a colision with a fully laden 737?

I was just dramatizing a point about terrorism. As a high profile project, (actually another Wonder) the Space Elevator would attract some real nut balls.

geoschmo · #6 October 9th, 2002, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wardad:

quote:
Originally posted by Wardad:
Will it survive a colision with a fully laden 737?

I was just dramatizing a point about terrorism. As a high profile project, (actually another Wonder) the Space Elevator would attract some real nut balls.

And it's a valid point. The website Baron linked too even talked abou tit some. They are hoping that this would open up space to everyone and so it wouldn't be something one of the disenfranchised would want to attack. That may be a little pie in the sky, but ya' know.

Actually as remote as it is likely to be placed, it would be fairly safe. It not like a hijacked airliner would be able to sneak up on it if the nearest flightpath is thousands of miles away. But on the other hand it wouldn't take a fully loaded airliner to bring it down.

Geoschmo

Suicide Junkie · #7 October 9th, 2002, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Actually as remote as it is likely to be placed, it would be fairly safe. It not like a hijacked airliner would be able to sneak up on it if the nearest flightpath is thousands of miles away. But on the other hand it wouldn't take a fully loaded airliner to bring it down.

Actually, if you plan ahead a little bit, it would take a lot more than that to bring it down.

If its out of the way, you have lots of time to take the plane down. They also have a very small, probably invisible from a distance, target to hit, so there is a fair chance they'll miss anyways.

Say a plane does come along and cut the ribbon. You will lose less than 30,000 feet of cable. Probably a LOT less, since they'd probably have to use the base station to locate the cable.
How do you repair the system? Just unwind some more cable from the counterweight station, and you're back in business...
Then put some more spare cable on the next elevator going up.