OT: About Space Elevators

[Arkcon]

I got a friend who's always taking about this, and I just don't get it. How is it better that launching things.

I may be a dense old chemist, dregeing up high school physics but, isn't the energy needed the same no matter how you achieve orbit? How do you adapt the terrestrial end to things like chanes in the earth's surface due to tidal forces. How do you maintain something that long. Doesn't air resistance still affect things on their way up?

I want simple questions like this answered before I wand through a bunch of plans.

[ October 09, 2002, 00:39: Message edited by: Arkcon ]