Space Elevators: Low Cost Ticket to GEO?

Crocuta writes "The current issue of Science News features a cover story that discusses the current developments in space elevator technology. NASA has been working on such devices for many years, but private companies such as Highlift Systems are now jumping on the space elevator bandwagon, no doubt seeing the huge potential profit in a low cost per pound delivery system. PhysicsWeb has a somewhat older, but much more technical article on the formation and structure of the carbon nanotubes that form the basis of the proposed tether cables. With a development like this, we could shoot entire boy bands into space and make the world a better place."

Comments

Fix this!

[mustangdavis]

And what do you do if an airplane runs into this elevator?

I don't know of anything that could go and get the people except a space shuttle ... and don't tell me they could prep a shuttle fast enough to go save the people ... Besides that, do you really think the government is going to pay to save these people when their are "charities" that the politicians "have no association with" to donate to?

C'mon ... the government won't allow us to have hover boards and floating cars like in Back to the Future Part II because of safety reasons ... what makes you think that they'd really allow one of these things to be built? With a hover board, you are 2 inches from the ground ... with a space teather, you are over 2 levels of atmosphere from the ground ... er some really big number!

And remember Superman the movie? What if you were Lois Lane on the Eifel tower, but this time, you are in a space elevator ... and there is no Superman ... they'd NEVER get insurance for this thing!

And what if we ever wanted to tear it down? Oh, that's right, we'll just pull it into space so that earth can have 4 moons ....

Although it is a cool idea, it just isn't safe and it isn't practicle. They'd be better off spending the money trying to develop "beaming" technology or some other alternative method for getting people into space.