Elevator into space: Japanese firm determined to proceed with bold engineering project

[Ethnod]

An elevator to space, this has been a subject of discussion for almost a decade now. There have been many theories, possibly the strongest one was the one of constructing a ribbon of carbon nanotubes into space and using a station at the top as a counterweight.

 

Here is Michio Kaku on this subject:

 

Turns out that Japanese construction giant Obayashi are no longer just talking but in the planning phase. Obayashi talked about this some years ago but now is letting everyone know that they will have an operational elevator by 2050, incredible.

 

 

In fairness with all the talk of Space exploration, Mars and so on an Elevator makes sense in the long run. If you could bring up heavy cargo multiple times a day over and over day after day the potential for construction in space would be transformed (although they are estimating that it will take days for each journey atm). Space stations, habitats, ships and more. Maybe even solar energy being pumped back down via the ribbon.

The main barrier at the moment is the carbon nanotubes themselves, at the moment they can only make a few centimetres but they estimate that by 2030 that will no longer be an issue.

 

Man finally space is getting exciting again and its possible that even I will get to space before I die

 

 

Source:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/japan-firm-continues-with-plan-build-elevator-into-space/

[UnknownEngineer]

Immediately thought of this. The space tether from Halo.

[DigitalHermit]

Gundam 00 is happening!!

 

This can be a potential start of non-atmospheric solar farming... Imagine the amount of power you can harvest by deploying huge numbers of solar panels around that thing...

[CatCloud]

Someone has been watching a little to much Negima 
@DigitalHermit oh or that

[ShadowCaptain]

This is possibly the stupidest thing I have ever seen

 

They should invest their time and money into more accessible space flight

[Manny Calavera]

space is fascinating, but i am ok here

 

 

This is possibly the stupidest thing I have ever seen

 

They should invest their time and money into more accessible space flight simulators

fixed

[ZetZet]

It's possible, you just need to catch a big asteroid in space and figure out the materials to build the thing from... graphene anyone..?

Let's figure out fusion first then we will maybe have enough energy to move on with projects like these.

[Manny Calavera]

It's possible, you just need to catch a big asteroid in space and figure out the materials to build the thing from... graphene anyone..?

Let's figure out fusion first then we will maybe have enough energy to move on with projects like these.

Some say we might

 

http://keshefoundation.org/

[Lavachyste]

What is there solution against meteor and space trash that could damage the ribbon??

 

And what about putting this money into helping some low country that has problem surviving? creating schools in Africa and India?? And ....I could on and on. but all of this is just some more Commande and Conquer.

[ZetZet]

Some say we might

 

http://keshefoundation.org/

I saw pope on that page and it immediatelly lost all credibility to me.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITER

This is much more interesting.

 

 

What is there solution against meteor and space trash that could damage the ribbon??

 

And what about putting this money into helping some low country that has problem surviving? creating schools in Africa and India?? And ....I could on and on. but all of this is just some more Commande and Conquer.

By the time we have materials to build this space trash will be gone.

[StingBull]

I would ask them why would they even consider such a project but I'm pretty sure they are too high from all the money they have been smoking to answer.

[zanduh]

What happens when debris or something gets caught in our gravity and smashes the elevator? 

This is the silliest waste of money and human capital.

[Lavachyste]

 

 

 

By the time we have materials to build this space trash will be gone.

 

 

How?? This civilization is trashing a lot, like really too much. We even release trash in space so.... And to do what?? a shitty society there too? with poor school and drugs or else? fix that one first, PLEASE!!!

[Ethnod]

This is possibly the stupidest thing I have ever seen

 

They should invest their time and money into more accessible space flight

 

WHAT?!?! The point of this is to reduce the overall cost with a large investment upfront. The potential is amazing if large and extremely heavy objects and material can be lifted into space.

The ISS (International Space Station) was started in 1998 and is still not finished. It weighs over 450 tonnes and and is the size of a football pitch. The ISS is still under construction, taking into account that there has been a shuttle launched to it a minimum of every 6 month since 1998 and its still not finished.

The point of a project like this would be that good, heavy and bulky, could go up at a fraction of the cost, potentially being powered by a solar array outside of the earth's atmosphere. If we could move good up and down every few days we could have build the ISS years ago and potentially be living up there now.

[ZetZet]

How?? This civilization is trashing a lot, like really too much. We even release trash in space so.... And to do what?? a shitty society there too? with poor school and drugs or else? fix that one first, PLEASE!!!

We don't "release" trash into space, it's stuck there mostly from failed experiments and tech that had no plan to fall down and burn up in the atmosphere, now we don't bring stuff up there if we don't have a way to bring it down too and it's not even that bad, it's mostly very tiny pieces. 

Society is shit because of many reasons, doesn't mean we have to stop all research. We HAVE to research or our lives will be wasted.

 

WHAT?!?! The point of this is to reduce the overall cost with a large investment upfront. The potential is amazing if large and extremely heavy objects and material can be lifted into space.

The ISS (International Space Station) was started in 1998 and is still not finished. It weighs over 450 tonnes and and is the size of a football pitch. The ISS is still under construction, taking into account that there has been a shuttle launched to it a minimum of every 6 month since 1998 and its still not finished.

The point of a project like this would be that good, heavy and bulky, could go up at a fraction of the cost, potentially being powered by a solar array outside of the earth's atmosphere. If we could move good up and down every few days we could have build the ISS years ago and potentially be living up there now.

The new rocket that NASA is developing looks like it could fill the gap till this technology comes too, because it's way more powerful than anything we had before and not too expensive to use.

 

They even have plans that the 3rd revision of that rocket could bring people to mars without accelerating around the earth which would be insane.

[Lavachyste]

We don't "release" trash into space, it's stuck there mostly from failed experiments and tech that had no plan to fall down and burn up in the atmosphere, now we don't bring stuff up there if we don't have a way to bring it down too and it's not even that bad, it's mostly very tiny pieces. 

Society is shit because of many reasons, doesn't mean we have to stop all research. We HAVE to research or our lives will be wasted.

 

Yes, but they could put some of their money into project that actually brings resultas towards helping other people. I don't see a lot of, "This rich dude gave that amount of money to create 200 schools to that country"... that's just sad cause a lot of guys could do it.

 

That's all. Future project is good, don't take me wrong. I am happy with it.

[yurihellsing]

This is possibly the stupidest thing I have ever seen

 

They should invest their time and money into more accessible space flight

 

 

I'm not sure even where to start with this one...

[Lavachyste]

 Does the elevator goes somewhere or just stay stationnary in space??

[Lord Pantaloons]

Gundam 00 is happening!!

 

This can be a potential start of non-atmospheric solar farming... Imagine the amount of power you can harvest by deploying huge numbers of solar panels around that thing...

happening? it's already happened. Japan has had Mechs for decades, they just haven't told the rest of us about them yet because they don't want to make us feel stupid because we thought our dinky little drone things were high tech.

[Bsmith]

hmm the idea isnt bad, but even google X dropped it since there wasnt a metal wich allowed this(density and mass it could hold combnation problem)

 

I know Michio Kaku and he is pretty smart, but the down point is that all he comes with is theoretical, like those spaceships in that discovery series(forgot the name) it sounds nice and all, but in the end it is nearly impossible in practise.

[ZetZet]

Yes, but they could put some of their money into project that actually brings resultas towards helping other people. I don't see a lot of, "This rich dude gave that amount of money to create 200 schools to that country"... that's just sad cause a lot of guys could do it.

 

That's all. Future project is good, don't take me wrong. I am happy with it.

Oh please, we put money all over the place in donation forms it just almost never goes to those projects because of corruption and rich people still keep trying to donate.

Maybe one day corrupted people will realise that they can't bring money with them after they die.

Society also gives money to catholic church even though Vatican has more money than it would need for like 20 years.

 

hmm the idea isnt bad, but even google X dropped it since there wasnt a metal wich allowed this.

 

I know Michio Kaku and he is pretty smart, but the down point is that all he comes with is theoretical, like those spaceships in that discovery series(forgot the name) it sounds nice and all, but in the end it is nearly impossible in practise.

Metal no, carbon can still theoretically hold up to this.

 

 

 Does the elevator goes somewhere or just stay stationnary in space??

The top part of elevator should remain straight above earth at all times and then we could lift the loads up to space without rockets or spaceships (which don't really exist yet)

[Lavachyste]

 

Oh please, we put money all over the place in donation forms it just almost never goes to those projects because of corruption and rich people still keep trying to donate.

Maybe one day corrupted people will realise that they can't bring money with them after they die.

Society also gives money to catholic church even though Vatican has more money than it would need for like 20 years.

 

 

 

 

That's exactly what I am saying. We don't see anybody doing so.

 

I know a guy in India that adopted more than 600 kids to take them out of Child Prostitution and organ traffic, plus that he created several schools (free) for the kids and the parents. That persons exist and we should support them.

[Ashaira]

I like how everyone is like "well how are they going to solve this ..... ? this is so stupid since they can't solve this.....". Really? have we come to rejecting a project because it needs to solve some problems first?

[ZetZet]

That's exactly what I am saying. We don't see anybody doing so.

 

I know a guy in India that adopted more than 600 kids to take them out of Child Prostitution and organ traffic, plus that he created several schools (free) for the kids and the parents. That persons exist and we should support them.

We are still too much monkey to start caring about orthers. The whole mentality has to change. Look at Russia, it's going backwards now so...

[ShadowCaptain]

What I mean is:

 

If we had shuttle that was safer, easier and cheaper to fly up, then we could transport people and goods in a much faster easier fashion than a space lift

 

I doubt that in 15 years we will have perfected carbon nanotubes to the point we can create a whole super structure out of them, besides there are other complications that can make this nearly impossible

 

I remember watching this, showing that a structure that tall would feel a rotational force and it would not just sit there... its pretty impractical to build a lift all the way to the ISS