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Space Elevator May Become Reality

Posted by michael on from the skyhook dept.

mojotek writes: "The NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts has a study(15Mb pdf) about the feasibility of a "Space Elevator" comprised of a 22,000 mile long cable built out of carbon nanotubes. In theory, it would be able to carry loads of 20 tons to space without using a single rocket engine. Sounded way too sci-fi for my taste at first, but this article at TechTV actually helped fill in the holes."

3 of 430 comments (clear)

  1. [ding] 345,234th floor... by GCP · · Score: 2, Offtopic

    vacuum gloves, radiation belts, high-velocity hardware...

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    "Those who have never entered upon scientific pursuits know not a tithe of the poetry by which they are surrounded."
  2. see what happens when one of these break... by Zurk · · Score: 4, Offtopic

    as shown in full gory detail here. note the counterweight too.

  3. Could you imagine... by Marx_Mrvelous · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    A beowulf cluster of these? haha in all seriousness, if they can build one, maybe the could build 5 or 10. What a better way to get rid of nuclear waste? Elevate it into space, then toss it towards the sun!

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