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Space Elevator Group to Open Nanotube Factory

Posted by timothy on from the too-small-to-care-about dept.

FleaPlus writes "The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Universe Today report that the LiftPort Group, a consortium dedicated to commercially developing and constructing a space elevator, will be opening a carbon nanotube manufacturing plant in June of this year. The new facility has been dubbed LiftPort Nanotech. Many expect the LiftPort Group to be a front-runner in NASA's recently-announced Centennial Challenges competitions for space elevator technologies, which begin in September of this year."

9 of 226 comments (clear)

  1. In the future... by Stalyn · · Score: 2, Interesting

    all major cities will have a space elevator just like airports and subways... or not.

    --
    The best education consists in immunizing people against systematic attempts at education. - Paul Feyerabend
    1. Re:In the future... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Well, those on the equator perhaps. But not
      every city.

  2. Why stop at space elevators? by DrMrLordX · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How many other applications will these nanotubes have in large-scale construction? Could they replace materials such as steel?

    1. Re:Why stop at space elevators? by MikShapi · · Score: 5, Interesting

      IANAMA (I'm not a materials engineer) but to my best understanding carbon nanotubes come in single walled (SWNT) and multiwalled (MWNT) flavors.
      The former are what you want for the elevator because they have extraordinary tensile strength and are very light (worthy of noting is that while their *theoretical* tensile strength is 5 times what you need for an elevator - 300GPa - and you need a safety factor of about 2 to actually make one - ~110GPa - the strongest single SWNT made to date is somewhere around 60GPa. I *think*.)

      The latter - multiwalled - are much more dense and so will not be fit for an elevator - too heavy. These might actually be of use where strong rigid materials are required, such as construction. Just remember that we construct not out of what is strong but of what is cheap and readily available, hence some places use more wood and others use more concrete, and nobody uses steel except where local cheap materials don't cut it (lile.. skyscrapers).

      Would be nice to have someone who has up-to-date info clear this up.

      --
      -
    2. Re:Why stop at space elevators? by ErikZ · · Score: 4, Interesting


      I can see this replacing steel rebar in reinforced concrete once it gets cheap enough. The stuff will never rust, no matter how much it is exposed to moisture.


      That's a practical application that carbon nanotubes can be applied to now

      --
      Democrats or Republicans. They are both taking us to the same place and they are not afraid of us anymore.
  3. Re:its already possible? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Since when did we have the capability to
    make fiber optic cables over a mile long?
    We didn't at first, and yet we STILL built
    plants to spin fiber optics cable.

    It's the same situation here.

    Hint: it's called a "lab" by some people.
    It's a production plant, technically,
    since the focus is also on the industrial
    system engineering problems of mass
    producing carbon tubes.

    E.g., where do the raw inputs go? What
    machines connect the hopper to the next stage?
    Where the computers located? What sensors
    are needed to monitor the reliable production
    of lengths of tube wires? We can make one
    or two in the lab, but what other equipment
    do we need to make fuckloads (that's a
    technical term) of tubes?

    We can make short tubes, yes. We're learning
    how to make long ones. If we suddenly learn
    how to make arbitrary length cables over night,
    we'll be DAMN sorry if we haven't worked out
    the production logistics of a factory first.

    What a silly point you've attempted to raise.
    And +2 mod already... Oh my.

    This is why you read slashdot, while real men
    go off and build the technology of a new
    century.

  4. Re:Hmm... by xanalogical · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "The elevator will be anchored to an offshore sea platform near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, and to a small counterweight in space."

  5. Re:Linking to a 2.7MB PDF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I wonder if terrorists will eventually be able to obtain a CMD (Camera of Mass Destruction)?

    We Have Ignition! Carbon Nanotubes Explode When Exposed To Photo Flash

  6. COOL! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Oh cool...

    Carbon Nanotube space elevators.

    And they conduct electricity.

    I hope they insulate the ground base really well, or whomever is the first to step on for their first ride, will likely perish in a BIG FLASH as they vaporise from the built up static potential.

    It has to do with tall conducting structures.

    Did you ever notice at the bottom of AM transmitting antennas there is usually a big insulator?

    Even if the transmitter has been shut off, tower climbers still need to use a long ground pole to discharge static electricity from the tower, and then connect a hefty safety ground strap before touching it, otherwise, Blammo!, another bad day at work.