... I'm amazed by how many people get hung up on the travel time to orbit. As Monte Davis wrote - The initial elevator will be for cargo -and - humans make up...
The first generation space elevator needs to be thought about as a system to move stuff into space for 1 % of what it now costs. it is not about travel time it...
... transport ... Just to set the record straight, I did not write the above excerpt and mostly agree with Vern. ... Right. These people must have been quite...
Here is a link to an article claiming a breakthrough in bonding nanotubes to a plastic like material. http://www.physorg.com/news110727530.html Looks...
It seems unlikely to me that DOD would finance anything unless it is maneuverable enough to avoid satellite killer missiles. [Non-text portions of this message...
DOD is more likly to put up an anti missle system to protect SPS systems. It was a divison of DOD the organized the study and is making positive sounds in...
Here are two problems with the Edwards Space Elevator that no one on this group or anyone else in the SE community seems to be talking about. 1.DURABILITY....
On the issue of durability - many designs currently call for climbers which build up the tether bit by bit as they climb it. Similarly "repair" climbers could ...
... Quite possibly because it is fairly well covered in his book. A wide, flat ribbon is resistant to appreciable damage from micrometeorites. Having a base...
... Section 10.2 of Edwards report in the link section of this group (found at: http://www.spaceelevator.com/docs/472Edwards.pdf) explains how the baseline...
Yes this is a positive development. Edwards baseline design is 60% CNTS with the balance as some type of substrate. The polymer matrix referenced in the...
The inflatable space tower idea is nothing new. There are several designs being proposed in the scientific community. Most notable is the one being floated...
The inflatable tower would have to have considerably more pressure in its walls than one atmosphere at the bottom of the tower, or else it would collapse. If ...
Barry, As a structural engineer I have to agree with Ed's assessment. If you draw a free body diagram just below the pulley attachment and actually calculate...
Here are your calculations Ed. The material I would suggest using would be readily available graphite epoxy, like that used for aircraft with a weight of...
Scanning thru Bolonkin's paper "Optimal Electrostatic Space Tower" left me with a basic question: Is the electron gas referenced in the paper: A. Electron...
Putting aside the fantastic 120,000 km tower filled with the fabled "electron gas" (which I have never heard of) of Mr Bolognkin, it is reasonable to assume a...
Had you bothered to read only as much as just the Wikipedia article on the space elevator, you would have found meteorite damage and malfunctions of various...
In a message dated 10/17/2007 2:09:02 P.M. Central Daylight Time, awnd329@... writes: Although some would like to, people will probably never ride the...
GEddieA95@...
Oct 17, 2007 7:30 pm
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Commercial spaceflight has only very recently come down to the decamegabuck range (from non-existence), and there is still a lot of room for improvements, even...
... After reading thru the paper again, I believe I got it all wrong. I will post comments later. Still a working model needs to be built to demo the concept ...
... on ... soak ... Personally, I have always had the view that the ribbon would have a cover. I know, I know. The weight! The weight! No problem, it's gotta...
For those that are in the NYC area A.BOLONKIN will be speaker at NSS Chapter event. One may even have a chance to ask him about electron gas. Since the other...
Hi, I agree that the cost should be more realistic, perhaps $2B. In addition to the restaurant, cell-phone antenna, and upper atmospheric research station, one...
... The tower/mass driver combination is not too outrageous an idea. Unfortunately electromagnetic mass drivers are neither small nor light. A better solution...
... Balancing the sling will be a walk in the park once you've balanced that 100 mile tower... Seriously, all it takes is a counterweight. The tower will have...