What the.... alternative space elevator
Discussion
Anyone seen this?
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/17/spa...
Not sure I'd fancy being in an aircraft trying to land on a 20km tall inflatable tower! Nutters.
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/17/spa...
Not sure I'd fancy being in an aircraft trying to land on a 20km tall inflatable tower! Nutters.
In theory it makes some sense. It takes a rocket a hell of a lot of energy to fight gravity and drag and reach 20km (although they're going pretty quick by the time they get there), and they need a lot of excess thrust to carry the fuel needed to get there. White Knight released SpaceShip 1/2 at about 15km, and while that was about height rather than orbital velocities, launching from 20km stationary is probably more efficient than launching from 15km at a few hundred knots.
In practice it's not just one wave short of a shipwreck, it's missing the whole ocean and the boat!
A true space elevator would protrude out further than geostationary orbit (36,000km) so the whole things in tension, think they've got a way to go yet.
In practice it's not just one wave short of a shipwreck, it's missing the whole ocean and the boat!
A true space elevator would protrude out further than geostationary orbit (36,000km) so the whole things in tension, think they've got a way to go yet.
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