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Japanese Begin Working On Space Elevator
thebryce writes "From cyborg housemaids and waterpowered cars to dog translators and rocket boots, Japanese boffins have racked up plenty of near-misses in the quest to turn science fiction into reality. Now the finest scientific minds of Japan are devoting themselves to cracking the greatest sci-fi vision of all: the space elevator. Man has so far conquered space by painfully and inefficiently blasting himself out of the atmosphere but the 21st century should bring a more leisurely ride to the final frontier. Japan is increasingly confident that its sprawling academic and industrial base can solve those issues, and has even put the astonishingly low price tag of a trillion yen (£5 billion) on building the elevator. Japan is renowned as a global leader in the precision engineering and high-quality material production without which the idea could never be possible."
Just imagine fourteen hours of Japanese elevator music. I couldn't stand that much symphonic David Hasselhoff. And when you get to space and arrive at the Japanese Sky Deck, you can eat very expensive steak, while being entertained by a Max Headroom stylized recreation of David Hasselhoff, and groped by Hentai-motivated space-whores.
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
$9 Billion Here, $9 Billion there -- pretty soon we'll start talking about real money.
They're going to use Mothra for the lift engine of the elevators.
The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination
- Douglas Adams
I can't tell you how many times I've needed one of those.
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
The concept of a space elevator, of course, requires a very very tall structure, or a pully of sorts from space. That would need to be a really damn strong system, to pull somebody up that high...
Yes, you instantly recognized the challenges of the project. Please, come, be a manager on the project!
Red Leader Standing By!
The Japanese just want to be the first to build a ladder to Heaven.
Elon Musk throws a chair at his Sony flat-screen TV upon hearing the news.
Send your spendthrift head of state this
Good thing I started Colossus last turn.
Exercise for the reader: work out how you're going to power the climber.
CowboyNeal as a counterweight?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_babel
It didn't work out so well from what I recall.
In a world of acronyms, the words are the real victims.
They just saw that the EU completed the LHC world wonder so they are building a Space Elevator wonder to prevent a cultural victory.
I'm always afraid of getting stuck halfway up on a space elevator (one bustle in your hedgerow and the whole thing gets jammed up). I'll just take a Stairway to Heaven, there's a lady I've heard good things about that is buying one.
would that work to finance the japanes space elevator:
1- take a subprime loan from a US bank
2- file for banckruptcy
3- let US treasury buy the debt back and cancel it
4- Profit !
I mean with that they could spend as much as 700 billions !
If I find a golden ticket in my package of ramen noodles, do I get to ride the space elevator?
I got an email earlier today guaranteeing a gain of 1-3 inches in length. It's a start.
The elevators traveling speed will be measured in GFIp/t ("Girl from Ipanema" plays per transport).
Do not trust this signature.
Exercise for the reader: work out how you're going to power the climber.
Rockets.
There is no reason for that not working. And, except for the cable and the asteroid, we already have all the needed equipment ;)
Rethinking email
Supposed you were to get stuck near the very top in space? Who is going to come and rescue you? Ultra-Man? Optimus Prime? Godzilla?
Don't be stupid. Godzilla never went to space.
I have the solution though. To get around the problem with the long cable and pulley, we can use rocket propulsion on the bottom of the elevator cart.
Also since the shaft it will travel may encouter some problems with radial velocity and all that engineery stuff I know barely enough to be dangerous about, we should cut that out and just create a cart that doesn't need that.
Yeah, a rocket propelled shaftless space elevator. Where's my damn X-prize or whatever money for being so smart....
-- A computer without COBOL and Fortran is like a piece of chocolate cake without ketchup and mustard
You mean the thing that orbits Earth?
So we'll eventually have cable wrapped around our planet like a rubber band ball?
And the moon will collide with Earth?
Good thing you're anonymous. If I had a 'nanotube' I sure wouldn't want to admit it on slashdot. :)
Actually, it would take a guy in the spacecraft a minimum of 4.3 years to arrive at Alpha Centauri. In Earth's reference frame it might take thousands of years. I'm saying that you're using the times in the wrong frames of reference.
How disappointing would that be? You get yourself all packed up and ready to go to Alpha Centauri. You're excited, the kids are excited, you're going to be the first humans to ever step foot outside the solar system. It's groundbreaking stuff, you are lauded as heroes as you step into your state-of-the art ship that travels at 60% of the speed of light.
After almost ten difficult years in a cramped interstellar ship, you and the other colonists can finally see your destination. You will forever own a place in the chronicles of human history. And then, you discover than the place was already colonized by humans centuries ago ... the ones who waited until FTL travel was invented back on Earth. They made the trip in a couple weeks. They've been waiting for you ever since.
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
As always:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Ladder_to_Heaven
The "Tower of Babel" project was abandoned before they installed the bell on top.
Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
WOOSH!
There it went.
Sweet informative mod.
i KNEW it.. they are going to build gundams up there!
Gee, let's hope that a war over the elevator doesn't break out, causing a young pilot to detonate the Space/Time Oscillation Bomb and splitting time/space into lots of little pieces.
"Japanese Begin Working On Space Elevator"
Did that headline make anyone else feel like we're in one big game of "Civilization"?
You know, if we just increased the spin of Earth, we wouldn't need as long of a cable to get to GEO.
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Look, let's just ring up General Products. The Puppeteers probably make exactly the kind of cable we need.
Whoever calls, pick me up a Number Two hull if they have any left. I'm good for it.
...No space elevator is going anywhere without the necessary nanotube manufacturing breakthrough, and that includes the Japanese.
If only someone would throw billions of dollars into research to try and find such a breakthrough. That someone would have to engage a whole bunch of people and research organisations. Maybe a sovereign nation could get behind it.
But which? I mean, it would have to a country with a solid background in technological innovation, and it would be good if they weren't currently in the throes of an economic meltdown. Maybe someone in Asia? Hmmm...
Nope, can't think of anyone. Guess it'll never happen. What a shame.