How much would a space elevator cost to build and how long would it take?

[Braznor]

If we get to work on it, I guess it will take the world a decade or two to build an elevator at the cost of hundreds of billions of dollars.

 

[FoBoT]

$42 trillion and take 42 years

 

[Nitemare]

and 42 days

 

[Braznor]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
$42 trillion and take 42 years

Would it also take two bumbling philosophers?

I'll throw a towel in for free!

 

[Kelemvor]

who cares, more building, less talking.

 

[rivan]

Originally posted by: Braznor

Originally posted by: FoBoT
$42 trillion and take 42 years

Would it also take two bumbling philosophers?

I'll throw a towel in for free!

Thanks for all the fish!

 

[Mxylplyx]

I'll bet the jews could do it in record time with all their dirty jew money.

 

[paulxcook]

I think the costs would reach the trillion level.

 

[Nitemare]

I just want my holo-suites

 

[lozina]

it should cost 450 billion and take 3 years.

but once you factor in the labor unions it balloons to 12 trillion in 10 years

 

[conehead433]

A physical impossibility. Under the sheer weight of a structure that tall the bottom of the structure would be liquefied.

 

[lozina]

Originally posted by: conehead433
A physical impossibility. Under the sheer weight of a structure that tall the bottom of the structure would be liquefied.

not if it's a synthetic spider silk structure

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: lozina

Originally posted by: conehead433
A physical impossibility. Under the sheer weight of a structure that tall the bottom of the structure would be liquefied.

not if it's a synthetic spider silk structure

I bet Ron Popeil could pull it off.

 

[slayer202]

Doesn't seem possible unless it took up an insane amount of space to hold the weight

 

[alkemyst]

there already is one in the artic circle.

 

[lozina]

Originally posted by: Injury

Originally posted by: lozina

Originally posted by: conehead433
A physical impossibility. Under the sheer weight of a structure that tall the bottom of the structure would be liquefied.

not if it's a synthetic spider silk structure

I bet Ron Popeil could pull it off.

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[bigrash]

I'll build it for $100. Don't know how long it'll take me though.

 

[judasmachine]

Originally posted by: lozina
it should cost 450 billion and take 3 years.

but once you factor in the labor unions it balloons to 12 trillion in 10 years

and then dirty politicians, and sticky fingered middle men, then even that balloons to 32 trillion, and it never gets done.

 

[effowe]

Originally posted by: lozina

Originally posted by: conehead433
A physical impossibility. Under the sheer weight of a structure that tall the bottom of the structure would be liquefied.

not if it's a synthetic spider silk structure

Isn't the structure at the top of the elevator also in Earth's orbit, therefore there is no weight being put onto the rope?

 

[sdifox]

Assuming we can bring the cost of synthetic diamond down, or carbon nanotube, which ever comes first, we can build this sucker.

 

[frostedflakes]

Originally posted by: conehead433
A physical impossibility. Under the sheer weight of a structure that tall the bottom of the structure would be liquefied.

I think it's the other way around. Tension in the string due to centripetal force is the enemy, not gravity.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Obviously that would never work. From a scientific standpoint, it's absurd to think a freestanding structure over a hundred thousand miles high would not collapse under its own weight; and if it weren't freestanding, what would you anchor the guy wires to? Would you just run them around the planet a few times?

No, I'm sorry, that's just ridiculous.

Now a giant catapult on the other hand...

 

[ViviTheMage]

impossible!

the moon orbits, its never in the same spot .... so you would have to also build a track throughout the length of the world at which the thing could shimmy over, like a lil racecar as the moon orbits around.

fools!

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
impossible!

the moon orbits, its never in the same spot .... so you would have to also build a track throughout the length of the world at which the thing could shimmy over, like a lil racecar as the moon orbits around.

fools!

who said anything about a space elevator to the moon? Just to space, so we don't need to rocket boost everything into orbit.

 

[FlashG]

Originally posted by: frostedflakes

Originally posted by: conehead433
A physical impossibility. Under the sheer weight of a structure that tall the bottom of the structure would be liquefied.

I think it's the other way around. Tension in the string due to centripetal force is the enemy, not gravity.

winnar