stacked tall enough…? The space elevator concept is a geostationary node orbiting earth directly above a fixed point, with cables running between them. Not a gigantic skyscraper up into the sky. What am I missing?
Comment on Space is starting to look like the better mining operation
grahamja@reddthat.com 1 year agoI also am under the assumption that no material exists that could be stacked tall enough to build a space elevator.
crystalmerchant@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Cosmicomical@kbin.social 1 year ago
You probably haven't read 3001: the final odissey, in any case i think most ideas of space elevators are not like a lift, they are more like skyscrapers indeed
Heggico@lemmy.world 1 year ago
If you build it tall enough, centrifugal force will start pulling on it. Building it that way though… But yeah. Doubt the right material exist atm.
seaQueue@lemmy.world 1 year ago
You’d want tensile strength rather than compressive. The trick is to anchor a counterweight out beyond your target distance and let it pull the weight of the cable up rather than building a tower.