Comment on If a Space Elevator became a reality, wouldn't the cable act as a kind of wick for all of the unfiltered radiation from outside our atmosphere?

• Zos_Kia@lemmynsfw.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  A space elevator is dominated by angular momentum and centrifugal force, not by Earth’s gravity. There’s no way for the cable to be pulled down to earth unless you strap rockets on it to slow it down, but even then that’s gonna cost a lot of fuel.

  That scene in foundation was not accurate, if the cable snaps at some point it’s not going to magically decelerate from earth’s rotation speed to slow enough to be pulled down. The outer part will probably fly away and the inner part sort of hover in place.

  source
• I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Dearth means “a striking lack of,” as in “dearth of evidence.” (No evidence)

  source

  • anomnom@sh.itjust.works ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    It was supposed to say “death and” autocorrect had other ideas I guess.

    source

    • tomcatt360@lemmy.zip ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Its still funny to read this as you having a concern about the striking lack of distruction caused by space elevator collapse. Maybe the elevator debris all got thrown into orbit?

      source
• SpacetimeMachine@lemmy.world ⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  By the necessities of its design a space elevator has to reach geostationary orbit, which would make it tall enough to wrap around the planet twice if it fell. Wouldn’t really matter if you built it on a west coast or not.

  source

  • deranger@sh.itjust.works ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    A geostationary orbit is ~35,000km from the surface of the earth. The circumference of the earth is ~40,000km. It can’t wrap around once, nevermind twice.

    source

    • SpacetimeMachine@lemmy.world ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Ah thanks, I was a dingus and looked up the diameter instead of the circumference. Still doesn’t really matter where you build it. No matter what it’s fucking up a a good portion of the equator if it falls.

      source

      • XeroxCool@lemmy.world ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        It still can’t really fall. It’d be moving incredibly fast sideways. Fast enough to miss the Earth for a while. Geo stationary orbit is the point where orbital speed matches Earth’s rotational speed, so if it’s anchored at the ground, then it’s at orbital speed if at GEO. The higher the orbit, the slower the orbital speed. So using a higher orbit to maintain tension means it’d be traveling beyond escape velocity, held down by the cable. A break would release the mass into the solar system

        source

        • -> View More Comments
    • bufalo1973@piefed.social ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      And not all would fall. Part of it would be launched outwards by inertia.

      source
  • MotoAsh@piefed.social ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Actually, a good ways passed geostationary orbit if I remember correctly. It needs centrifugal force to keep the cable taut, since it won’t be supporting its weight from the surface.

    source