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| shawngoldw |
 Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:31 am Post subject: space elevator |
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Forum Junior
Joined: 22 Jun 2006
Posts: 272
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| I just saw a show on the science channel called 2057. They talk about what it'll be like in 50 years and they were talking about a space elevator. I didn't think it was possible to make one but they are saying it is. There plan is to use nanotubes and attach them to an oil rig in the pacific and attack the otherside to a counterweight outside our atmosphere. Through cintrifical motion the nanotubes would stay taught. I wasn't quite sure what they said about propelling the elevator up the nanotubes but it was something about shooting high energy particles at a solar pannel at the bottom of the elevator. The trip would take half an hour. What do you guys think? |
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| Nevyn |
| Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:14 am Post subject: |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 21 Jan 2007
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| shawngoldw |
| Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:25 am Post subject: |
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Forum Junior
Joined: 22 Jun 2006
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| thats what I thought... but they said it was actually possible. They said they took thunderstorms and debris in outerspace and a whole bunch of other things into consideration |
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| Nevyn |
| Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:30 am Post subject: |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 21 Jan 2007
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they'd need to clean up space a bit with a vacume cleaner, hahahaha, get it, VACUME cleaner, no? oh well, sometimes intelligence is wasted on you people, any way, where was i? oh yes, what about lightning storms hitting it, that wouldn't be pleasent to be inside.
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| shawngoldw |
| Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:46 am Post subject: |
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Forum Junior
Joined: 22 Jun 2006
Posts: 272
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| they said they did a lot of observations and the spot they chose to put it in gets very few storms |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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In 1936 they said by the 1960's we'd all be in flying cars.
1n 1976 they said by the year 2000 we would all have domestic robots doing all the chores.
In 2006 they said we'd have a space elevator within 50 years... |
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| captaincaveman |
| Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 1:40 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 31 Jul 2006
Posts: 1460
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Am i the only one walking around in tin foil suits like those predicted in the 50's 
Talking of getting into space, whatever happened to the project of firing lasers at a donut shaped craft? I remember seeing the initial tests with frizbee sized objects, they sort of worked well 
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| U-BoaT |
| Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 26 Jan 2007
Posts: 10
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ok i do believe that it could be possible, but that kind of endeavour would have to face enormous adversities, like storms, rain, wind, metal stress and fatigue, corrosion, just by naming a few...new materials would have to be developed to make it possible...
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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| captaincaveman wrote: |
whatever happened to the project of firing lasers at a donut shaped craft? |
Are you sure you don't mean donuts firing laser shaped craft?
Seriously though, those guys have gone onto something bigger now, called a space lasso. |
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| icewendigo |
| Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Senior
Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 352
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Yes it will probably be constructed when nanotube structures can be produced on an industrial scale instead of the minute lab experiment scale as was achieved some time ago
it will sway like modern highrise buildings in a way that makes me crap my pants |
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| captaincaveman |
| Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 31 Jul 2006
Posts: 1460
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| Megabrain wrote: |
| captaincaveman wrote: |
whatever happened to the project of firing lasers at a donut shaped craft? |
Are you sure you don't mean donuts firing laser shaped craft?
Seriously though, those guys have gone onto something bigger now, called a space lasso. |
i found a link to it
http://gopaultech.com/2006/02/laser-microwave-propulsion/
theres video footage there too worth checking out .its really amazing stuff 
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I ANSWER TO NO-ONE - The wonders of athiesm
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| Ophiolite |
| Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 8:03 am Post subject: |
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Forum Radioactive Isotope
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 4020
Location: Scotland
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| U-BoaT wrote: |
| ok i do believe that it could be possible, but that kind of endeavour would have to face enormous adversities, like storms, rain, wind, metal stress and fatigue, corrosion, just by naming a few...new materials would have to be developed to make it possible... |
The highlighted items would effect less than .25% of the length of the elevator. Moreover much of this could be avoided by terminating the elevator at, say, 50,000' and shuttling between Earth and elevator with normal aircraft.
The elevator offers the only efficient way of getting out of Earth's gravity well. Once in Earth orbit the Solar System is ours. |
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| icewendigo |
| Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:51 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Senior
Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 352
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A sort of Captain Scarlet-ish aircraft carrier in the sky but suspended on a cable leading to orbit! 
holy cow,
I hope I live long enough to see this!  |
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| Scifor Refugee |
| Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:52 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 02 May 2005
Posts: 947
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| Ophiolite wrote: |
| The highlighted items would effect less than .25% of the length of the elevator. Moreover much of this could be avoided by terminating the elevator at, say, 50,000' and shuttling between Earth and elevator with normal aircraft. |
I'm trying to imagine the physics that would allow this to be stable, but I'm having a hard time doing it. Since orbital velocity decreases and orbital period increases as you move away from the earth, it seems like the elevator would slowly wrap itself around the earth as the bottom of the cable starts to "out run" of the top of the cable. What am I missing? |
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| shawngoldw |
| Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 2:49 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Junior
Joined: 22 Jun 2006
Posts: 272
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| maybe the counterweight has a propulsion system? |
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