Being stuck at the bottom of a gravity well is a little restricting, and in response to the comment about looking after our planet first – im sure that job would be much easier with the cheap reasources that the solar system could offer us, and space based research would potentially offer useful new technologies! like phasers! or not, as the case may be.

Very much enjoyed the discussion around this article, even the silly ones.

The problem i think is that people are using theories, calculations and all kinds of new (nano) and other types of technology to make this elevator work (i won’t bore you with my lack of extensive knowledge on therse things, i don’t know my IQ because i believe their results only show how well that person can do in IQ testing, real life is never about your Intelligence Quotient but more about the wisdom in using what intelligence you have correctly).

Laugh with me on this one, but old tricks are the best tricks, why not use a bigger/better/scientifically-enhanced/more rubbery material and construct a giant slingshot and all the space cadets can ’shoot up’ without worrying about snow, frost, and orbital whatever-those-forces are. By now we should have had a lunar liftoff station, yes i mentioned lunar as opposed to sayng ‘a station on the moon’, shoot the cadets up in a transportable ‘projectile’ that can be caught or land without killing everybody in it, they jump into space from our lunar base, since its liftoff issues would probably cost next to nothing with our rocket/fuel system and go fix up a planet for us to live in while we carry on stuffing this one up…sorted.

thought-provoking article though…well done

The whole idea makes my skin crawl. I didn’t like the sensation of being on the Seattle Space Needle let alone an elevator to space.Yuck.

Just another name, I have an IQ of 143 :D 1 point from “genius” level *weep*

I feel like I’m time traveling.
NaughtyHorse from 2006 – Calm down ;)
I had the same initial reaction but I can see the math working now as i understand that the cable would have to be much further out than the GS line (geosynchronous orbit) and a weight on the end. A miscalculation could mean that our anchor tears free of the earth and flies off into space – Yes!

My new concerns are these.
1) How would you ever get enough grip on this cable to lift anything of significance up? Any accidental lubricant (ice sounds probable) and you could be in dire straights really fast.

2) By Newtons laws, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. So, if this mad scheme works, and the force being used (centrifical) would have a force acting against it…essentially slowing down the spin (our rotation). I won’t pretend to have the equations necessary so this could be a VERY insignificant amount. The moon’s pull on the tides is slowing us and the moon down anyway.

3) have you heard of the tower of babel?

Bryan Lowder #3 October 31st, 2005 4:29 pm my neurons are active but your comments are confusing.

[quote]Alchemist said: “Total total crap. I do nanotech, and nanotubes are not going to make this work, no mater how cool they are. (Nor will the flesh eating nanobots run amok). You’ll also need anchors… MASSIVE anchors at both ends or a very rigid structure. Not … going … to … work…”[/quote]

Yea just tell people they are limited and can’t.

Great story. Remember people the details are from “wiki” and problobly wrong.
I am sure that the top of our atmosphere at sub orbit is 100 miles.

Ummmm, yeah… I know almost no one-else will read this but, uhhh… Are we supposed to be impressed or something? 131 is not even high enough for Mensa. Oooohh, I have an above average intelligence and an over-inflated ego. If all Jehova’s witnesses are that full of themselves, no wonder they get turned away. I never thought IQ was a good indicator of intelligence anyway, and that guy just keeps confirming my bias.

I personally have always loved the concept of space elevators, but have never seen any real reason to dedicate that much time and resource into it… Should’nt we be trying to improve our planet that is habitable and where life is self sustaining than send our resources into space where it all becomes unreplenishable?