5595 Days and Counting

Kris_J writes "Seattle PI appear to have been the first to pickup the story that a former member of Highlift ("Space Elevator") Systems has split off to form Liftport. The new company has the impressive aim of a space lift by July 1st, 2018. Competition is supposed to be good, right? If you want to know more they've got a messageboard where you can ask questions."

Comments

Re:I'm willing to bet $$$ it will never work

[LMCBoy]

You should really read about the system, before you denounce it as impossible and ridiculous with statements that demonstrate clearly that you don't understand the concept.

you still have to accelerate to orbital velocity after the lift, unless they plan to build it all the way out to the distance of a geosynchronous orbit.

They are going way past the geosynchronous point; they *have* to because the lift's center-of-mass has to be at the geosynchronous altitude.

Nothing is strong enough to support that kind of weight. With today's best engineering, they haven't even managed to build a building 1/2 of a mile high.

You shouldn't think of it in terms of a weight-bearing structure like a building. The lift ribbon will not need to support the weight of the whole system; on the contrary, centrifugal force will hold it aloft (i.e., the whole thing is effectively in orbit).

So, the material needs tensile strength, not weight-bearing capacity. Think carbon nanotubes, not "diamond beams".

But right now it's ridiculous and any venture capitalist who gives them money would have to be borderline retarded.

Ignorance has a cure: RTFA