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Observations by Bradley

Observations by Bradley - Jul 2004

I'm not kidding, folks. It's here. Just type in "space elevator" on Google and you'll find something like this:

A space elevator is a revolutionary way of getting from Earth into space, a ribbon with one end attached to Earth on a floating platform located at the equator and the other end in space beyond geosynchronous orbit (35,800 km altitude).

The space elevator will ferry satellites, spaceships, and pieces of space stations into space using electric lifts clamped to the ribbon, serving as a means for commerce, scientific advancement, and exploration.

NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts (NAIC) granted funds to Dr. Bradley Edwards, ISR's Director of Research, to investigate the feasibility of designing and building a space elevator. Once relegated to the realm of science fiction, the space elevator is now the subject of scientific research by ISR. The discovery of carbon nanotubes and the ongoing development to implement them into a composite is the key to space elevator viability being achieved in the coming years.

ISR has found that a space elevator capable of lifting 5-ton payloads every day to all Earth orbits, the Moon, Mars, Venus or the asteroids could be operational in 15 years. The first space elevator would reduce lift costs immediately to $100 per pound, as compared to current launch costs, which are $10,000-$40,000 per pound, depending upon destination and choice of rocket launch system. Additional and larger elevators, built utilizing the first one, would allow large-scale manned and commercial activities in space and reduce lift costs even further.

Unbelievable. My mind is blown. I mean, there are roads in Mississippi that are not even paved and our country is funding a program that will build an elevator into space? Is living space really that tight here on God's green earth?

I've read all the articles and tried to make sense of it, but I still don't understand how it works. They're going to staple this thing somewhere near the equator and somehow these "nanocables" are going to stay taut because of the acceleration associated with Earth's rotation. Doesn't it have to be stapled somewhere else?

And what if there's a fire in space? Will there be a giant staircase beside the elevator in case of emergency?

What if a cable snaps? Talk about a freefall.

This thing's got a real Tower of Babel feel to it. Yikes!

Join me next time for "How do you write zero in Roman numerals?"

Official disclaimer: This column expresses the views owned solely by me, Bradley Littlejohn, not Paid In Full or SoGospelNews.com. So if you've got a beef, e-mail me. But don't think for a minute that you can discourage me by punching holes in my arguments. And one other thing, I offer only observations. No real solutions. I don't think that far in advance.