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Scientist Sees Space Elevator in 15 Years
bofh31337 writes "Scientist Bradley C. Edwards, head of the space elevator project at the Institute for Scientific Research, thinks an elevator that climbs 62,000 miles into space could be operating in 15 years. He pegs the cost at $10 billion, a pittance compared with other space endeavors. 'It's not new physics--nothing new has to be discovered, nothing new has to be invented from scratch,' he says. 'If there are delays in budget or delays in whatever, it could stretch, but 15 years is a realistic estimate for when we could have one up.' NASA already has given more than $500,000 to study the idea, and Congress has earmarked $2.5 million more."
He saw the space elevator by looking through a wormhole at a mirror 7.5 years from Earth.
Who would stand Muzak for a 45 min ride.....
that'll be the wait after pressing the UP button.
Imagine the jerk that presses the "close door" button as you're running.
You know, it's cool that "they" are going to spend billions on an elevator to space, but I think it would be cooler if they could keep all 4 elevators in my building working correctly. Nothing like getting stuck, or seeing the Schindler repairman come out twice a week. Maybe he could make good use of some research funds!
This is a high performance, high stress ribbon
This application has little room for error. Obviously.
Wear on carbon nanotube ribbons may be significant.
Carbon nanotube ribbons may be susceptible to significant deterioration from cosmic rays.
Micrometeor impacts may also be a problem.
If the ribbon fails, what do we do with 62,000 miles of ribbon?
Oh wait, we build a Beowulf cluster of Christmas wrapping stores.
And then there is the cost estimate.
Low.
Yeah, i wonder if it will have one of those burgundy phones for when it gets stuck...
Maybe you should take him on at longbets.org.
...Nobody but you can hear the elevator music
And consequently, nobody can hear you scream.
It would be cool if it didn't suck.
Does it have Celine Dion elevator music? If so, fuck it.
Welcome to Xpress Lifts, descent to floor sixteen. You will be going down two thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven floors and, for a small extra charge, you can enjoy the in-lift movie "Gone With the Wind." If you look to your right and to your left, you will notice there are no exits. In the highly unlikely event of the lift having to make a crash-landing, death is certain. Under your seats you will find a cassette for recording your last-minute testament, and from above your head a bag will drop containing sedatives and cyanide capsules.
So I was on the Space Elevator last month, and 10 minutes into the ride a guy sitting next to me ripped one! "Sorry," he says, "I had spicy enchiladas for dinner last night." Longest trip of my life.
> At any reasonable speed, you're looking at a 24 to 48 hour trip
That's a _shitload_ of crappy muzak, there! Better bring a fully-loaded iPod.
And hope there's no crazy guy singing 'Roxanne' while you're in there.
Build a roller coaster from space, to the earth... Slow ride up.. then massive whoosh on the way down with plenty of loops and turns and upside-down goodness! Imagine the tourism dollars that could go fund the lowly freight elevator next to it! And we could call it.. The.. Great Space Coaster! And hire a GNU named Gary! Or Richard...
But I digress...
If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
You could have "love in an elevator" *AND* join the "mile high club" at the same time!
#2: In emergency, USE STAIRS
I'll just wait for the Space Escalator, thank you very much.
Just you parents make sure your kids aren't wearing loose jeans on the escalator!
---- El diablo esta en mis pantalones! Mire, mire!
Yeah but then you get to stretch your arms out and watch your girlfriend catch fire.
I am so old school geek!
I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
We only need to break out our UFOs out of area 51 and quit spending our time on pie in the sky ideas.
Nah, it's just another NASA rocket scientist [sic] trying to figure out that unit-conversion software thingie.
Um... Mr. Fantastic's girlfriend went invisible. It was her brother that "caught fire". Unless there was a funky undertone to the story that I never caught about some forbidden male/male mutie love goin' on.
Professor Frinkley, head of the non-gravitational society, has stated that no-gravity suits are only 15 years and $10 billion away. Upon leaving, Dr Frinkley made us pay for his coffee and donut and asked us for $10 billion more.
some smartassed little kid's gonna push all the buttons.
It's a very dark ride.
XML causes global warming.
Experts are finding drug abuse, particularly crack, is rising in the scientific and technology fields.
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that's only $1400 per year for a decade. $116 a month, about $4 a day! if we all just stop eating taco bell one meal a day we can do this! So, who do I make a paypal donation to? who's the leader in carbon nanotube research? I have a big, fat $20 bill with 'C' written all over it! seriously, I do. I wrote it with a marker.
The arab-looking guy said he only wanted to learn how to pilot the boat, not dock it...