I'll bet even Willie couldn't get a space elevator to move sideways.

In one moment, Earth; in the next, Heaven.

/For I Have Tasted the Fruit

Why not just read Arthur C. Clarke's book?

Oh, good. They have finally developed the unobtainium needed to build a space elevator.

I came up with this idea in 3rd grade.

Man, there's gonna be trouble if they ever hook this thing up to that orbital space hotel.

StrikitRich: Why not just read Arthur C. Clarke's book?


i knew i read that somewhere. thank you!

Subby, glad you used the proper tag. NASA funding is ridiculous these days. Imagine what we could have done with the money for Iraq. It'd be unreal.

Trivia Jockey: If the space escalator breaks down, does it become space stairs?


Get outta my head!!!

DarthBrooks: Cute.

Except space elevators would mean nothing could be in orbit below GSO (say goodbye to ISS, GPS, Iridium, XM/Sirius, most remote sensing satellites), someone would have to tow an asteroid into an orbit slightly beyond GSO, someone would have to invent a material capable of withstanding impacts of debris at 7km/sec, oh, and someone would have to PAY for all that crap.

Good luck with all that.

Try again. An elevator doesn't block all lower orbits. It blocks one spot on the equator, all you need to do is ensure your orbit doesn't cross that one spot.

You also don't need an asteroid for a small cable.

The big problem is dealing with impacts, as well as waiting for the engineers to come up with the needed cable. We have gotten close enough we can see the goalposts but we aren't there yet.

Where were you... when they built the ladder to heaven?

Ithe idea for a Space Elevator has been around for years. NASA has been considering the concept as a long-term goal.

I think it's an incredible idea, I'd love to see it come to fruition

The ideas I read didn't include a cable at all though. The cable would be replaced by a series of lasers in strategic locations which would "push" the platform not only upward, but from surrounding angles to keep it heading up in a straight vertical line.

Trivia Jockey: Dallymo: Also, with a space elevator, if it's broken down you have to wait for it to be fixed before you can get to space. With a space escalator you could just walk right up or down.


If the space escalator breaks down, does it become space stairs?

Led Zeppelin called it something else...

Uh oh.

Means we have, at best, 20 or 30 turns left.

FTA - "The space elevator competition has not produced a winner in its previous three years, but has become increasingly difficult."


Um, aren't you supposed to come close THEN make it harder to win?

DarthBrooks: Except space elevators would mean nothing could be in orbit below GSO (say goodbye to ISS, GPS, Iridium, XM/Sirius, most remote sensing satellites), someone would have to tow an asteroid into an orbit slightly beyond GSO, someone would have to invent a material capable of withstanding impacts of debris at 7km/sec, oh, and someone would have to PAY for all that crap.

Good luck with all that.

Never, never doubt what nobody is sure about.

With my luck I'd be stuck in there with the farting fat guy all the way up to GSO.

GoSurfing: Subby, glad you used the proper tag. NASA funding is ridiculous these days. Imagine what we could have done with the money for Iraq. It'd be unreal.

Oh, I dunno, maybe stay home and spend it on education and infrastructure?

Dallymo: Eddie Adams from Torrance: That's farking retarded. Limited payload, long waits for the elevator to return, difficulty in effecting a rescue if anything goes wrong.

If you really want safety and efficiency, you need to build a space escalator.

Also, with a space elevator, if it's broken down you have to wait for it to be fixed before you can get to space. With a space escalator you could just walk right up or down.

But what do you do if you are pushing a baby in a stroller? Sign says "no strollers on the escalator"!

Trivia Jockey: If the space escalator breaks down, does it become space stairs?

Sorry for the convenience.

Eddie Adams from Torrance: That's farking retarded. Limited payload, long waits for the elevator to return, difficulty in effecting a rescue if anything goes wrong.

If you really want safety and efficiency, you need to build a space escalator.

And you would have the annoying guy that was constantly hitting the up button over and over again.

DarthBrooks: Cute.

Except space elevators would mean nothing could be in orbit below GSO (say goodbye to ISS, GPS, Iridium, XM/Sirius, most remote sensing satellites), someone would have to tow an asteroid into an orbit slightly beyond GSO, someone would have to invent a material capable of withstanding impacts of debris at 7km/sec, oh, and someone would have to PAY for all that crap.

Good luck with all that.

A space elevator would be the greatest boon to space exploration ever created. Transporting things to the top would become cheap over time as elevator cars make more and more trips, and most importantly you only need a tiny increase in velocity to break free from Earth orbit and travel throughout the solar system.

I have one objection, gravity.

I've seen the coverage of this event in previous years and it is pretty cool that the concept works though it is several decades away from the experimental stage.

I agree with you guys. More wasted money. This whole "powered manned flight" thing has just been a pointless undertaking for over a century now, they should just give it up.

GoSurfing: Subby, glad you used the proper tag. NASA Iraq funding is ridiculous these days. Imagine what we could have done with the money for Iraq NASA. It'd be unreal.

FTFY

So this "laser"



will power the stairway to heaven?

Trivia Jockey: Dallymo: Also, with a space elevator, if it's broken down you have to wait for it to be fixed before you can get to space. With a space escalator you could just walk right up or down.


If the space escalator breaks down, does it become space stairs?

That joke sucked, alright

I need the exercise so I'm taking the stairs.

Heard about this several years ago. Wondered what happened to it. Thanks, subby.

A guy walks into an elevator and stands next to a beautiful woman.
After a few minutes he turns to her and says, "Can I smell your pussy?"
The woman looks at him in disgust and says, "Certainly not!"

The guy pauses for a minute and says, "Hmmm... it must be your feet, then."

space elevators are all fine and good. until saturday, when the the space elevator goes into shabbot mode and stops at EVERY FARKING floor.

If you like a little gay sex in your juvenile sci fi featuring a space elevator, i recommend _Jumping Off The Planet_ by David Gerrold. and if you like that, he wrote two more for you.

This snazzy tourism bullshiat is the result of the Disney crowd taking over. Why the fark aren't we colonizing the goddamned Moon?! Why haven't we landed on Mars with something more than a hi-grade ATV?

Is there a revolving space restaurant at the top?

is upset that they didn't consult him... after all, he did have experience with mag-lev carriages... well, models of mag-lev carriages.

/link is hot

That farking kid is on the escalator again!!!

DarthBrooks: Cute.

Except space elevators would mean nothing could be in orbit below GSO (say goodbye to ISS, GPS, Iridium, XM/Sirius, most remote sensing satellites), someone would have to tow an asteroid into an orbit slightly beyond GSO, someone would have to invent a material capable of withstanding impacts of debris at 7km/sec, oh, and someone would have to PAY for all that crap.

Good luck with all that.

Loren:Try again. An elevator doesn't block all lower orbits. It blocks one spot on the equator, all you need to do is ensure your orbit doesn't cross that one spot.

You also don't need an asteroid for a small cable.

The big problem is dealing with impacts, as well as waiting for the engineers to come up with the needed cable. We have gotten close enough we can see the goalposts but we aren't there yet.

Actually it's possible to swing the tether out of the way of things. Given the length, a deviation of miles is possible.

The type of cable needed has carried absurd "Unobtanium" specs on its strength-to-weight ratio. If your cable weighs too much it won't be able to support its own weight over the vast length needed, and break at the top. The weight of the cargo may not even be significant compared to the cable weight. The cable could be much thicker as it gets higher so it provides more strength without adding weight to the entire length, but there's a limit to what can be done there.

Kevlar and Spectraline have very high strength-to-weight, some of the highest we've got, but are still nowhere near strong enough for the idea.

Norad: No, a Wonkavator.

I love you so much.

After reviewing the feasibility study, plans, and progress to date, here is Wonka's conclusion:

I dunno... 22,000 miles of listening to Barry Manilow instrumentals could get a tad irritating