The Space Elevator

[Ruptga]

Originally posted by: Oceandevi

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: DrPizza
In response to the population issue: Yes, in the future we'll be able to start colonies with a few individuals. However as far as solving any population problems on earth in the future, no, it's not gonna happen.

Aw come on, there's always time for World War III. Give us a chance! We can do it!

I didn't mean there weren't other ways of solving population problems; rather, sending them off into space isn't really a feasible option, nor will it in the future.

You cant really know that. The first boats were canoes or something similar right?
Now we have cruise ships, cargo ships.... I just think that space tech is very much in its infancy. It has been stifled/ignored for so long now.

We have never even built an interplanetary manned craft. If we ever get to that point it will be interesting. Once we can "safely" and cheaply build in space we can expand as we damn well please.

Now how about the prospect of a private space agency/"air"line. These be very interesting days sirs.

Look up the original Project Orion (not the shuttle replacement), we've had fully fleshed out ideas for interplanetary and extrasolar travel for decades, we just haven't had the funds or drive to go do it.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: ADDAvenger

Originally posted by: Oceandevi

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: DrPizza
In response to the population issue: Yes, in the future we'll be able to start colonies with a few individuals. However as far as solving any population problems on earth in the future, no, it's not gonna happen.

Aw come on, there's always time for World War III. Give us a chance! We can do it!

I didn't mean there weren't other ways of solving population problems; rather, sending them off into space isn't really a feasible option, nor will it in the future.

You cant really know that. The first boats were canoes or something similar right?
Now we have cruise ships, cargo ships.... I just think that space tech is very much in its infancy. It has been stifled/ignored for so long now.

We have never even built an interplanetary manned craft. If we ever get to that point it will be interesting. Once we can "safely" and cheaply build in space we can expand as we damn well please.

Now how about the prospect of a private space agency/"air"line. These be very interesting days sirs.

Look up the original Project Orion (not the shuttle replacement), we've had fully fleshed out ideas for interplanetary and extrasolar travel for decades, we just haven't had the funds or drive to go do it.

i thought the reason the Orion was scrapped not because of funds but because of nuclear bombs or whaterver to do it.

 

[everman]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: ADDAvenger

Originally posted by: Oceandevi

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: DrPizza
In response to the population issue: Yes, in the future we'll be able to start colonies with a few individuals. However as far as solving any population problems on earth in the future, no, it's not gonna happen.

Aw come on, there's always time for World War III. Give us a chance! We can do it!

I didn't mean there weren't other ways of solving population problems; rather, sending them off into space isn't really a feasible option, nor will it in the future.

You cant really know that. The first boats were canoes or something similar right?
Now we have cruise ships, cargo ships.... I just think that space tech is very much in its infancy. It has been stifled/ignored for so long now.

We have never even built an interplanetary manned craft. If we ever get to that point it will be interesting. Once we can "safely" and cheaply build in space we can expand as we damn well please.

Now how about the prospect of a private space agency/"air"line. These be very interesting days sirs.

Look up the original Project Orion (not the shuttle replacement), we've had fully fleshed out ideas for interplanetary and extrasolar travel for decades, we just haven't had the funds or drive to go do it.

i thought the reason the Orion was scrapped not because of funds but because of nuclear bombs or whaterver to do it.

It was just a little bit nuts. We need more work done in propulsion tech so we can move around our solar system more quickly and efficiently. That should suffice for a while, but eventually we need effective interstellar travel. Perhaps if we ever did find something like the fabled "graviton"...

 

[Ruptga]

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: ADDAvenger

Originally posted by: Oceandevi

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: DrPizza
In response to the population issue: Yes, in the future we'll be able to start colonies with a few individuals. However as far as solving any population problems on earth in the future, no, it's not gonna happen.

Aw come on, there's always time for World War III. Give us a chance! We can do it!

I didn't mean there weren't other ways of solving population problems; rather, sending them off into space isn't really a feasible option, nor will it in the future.

You cant really know that. The first boats were canoes or something similar right?
Now we have cruise ships, cargo ships.... I just think that space tech is very much in its infancy. It has been stifled/ignored for so long now.

We have never even built an interplanetary manned craft. If we ever get to that point it will be interesting. Once we can "safely" and cheaply build in space we can expand as we damn well please.

Now how about the prospect of a private space agency/"air"line. These be very interesting days sirs.

Look up the original Project Orion (not the shuttle replacement), we've had fully fleshed out ideas for interplanetary and extrasolar travel for decades, we just haven't had the funds or drive to go do it.

i thought the reason the Orion was scrapped not because of funds but because of nuclear bombs or whaterver to do it.

It was just a little bit nuts. We need more work done in propulsion tech so we can move around our solar system more quickly and efficiently. That should suffice for a while, but eventually we need effective interstellar travel. Perhaps if we ever did find something like the fabled "graviton"...

I'm not saying it's THE solution, I'm saying we've had fleshed out ideas for decades.

Also, yes, that's why it hasn't been used as a ground launch vehicle, but if such a ship was assembled in space and we only used the nuclear propulsion once it's away from the magnetosphere there would be now way any significant amount of stuff could get back to Earth. You'd need conventional rockets (or something) for leaving/entering orbit, but it should work well for quick travel between planets in the solar system, and it's one of the few ideas for a "generation ship" that we currently have the technology to produce.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Hey so if this works like a regular elevator does with cables and such, it means we don't have to accelerate to 24,000 mph right? Because technically you can go as slow as you want and still get into space as long as your cable can withstand the pull of gravity all the way into space.

Or am I wrong? Of course I think we all want a speedy journey up to space, but I don't think we need to make this rocket powered.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Hey so if this works like a regular elevator does with cables and such, it means we don't have to accelerate to 24,000 mph right? Because technically you can go as slow as you want and still get into space as long as your cable can withstand the pull of gravity all the way into space.

Or am I wrong? Of course I think we all want a speedy journey up to space, but I don't think we need to make this rocket powered.

it does not use the cables to go up (at least the ideas i have read about) it uses them for a guide.

the propulsion is anything from lasers to steam

 

[Ruptga]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Hey so if this works like a regular elevator does with cables and such, it means we don't have to accelerate to 24,000 mph right? Because technically you can go as slow as you want and still get into space as long as your cable can withstand the pull of gravity all the way into space.

Or am I wrong? Of course I think we all want a speedy journey up to space, but I don't think we need to make this rocket powered.

As far as I know, yeah that's right, since the top end of the elevator would already be at orbital speed. Think of it like an ant crawling out to a yoyo that you're spinning around yourself, I'm pretty sure that's a decent analogy of a space elevator, but then again I'm tired and not an expert on the subject.

 

[illusion88]

Why not build a ship large enough to be self sustaining. Kind of like Biosphere 2 only in space. We send it off in a direction of a distant galaxy. They can self sustain many many generations. They great aliens thousands of years later. Profit.

Originally the people are all scientific oriented. They want to learn, they pass knowledge to their children. 5 generations down, the cross breading begins. By the time they great the aliens, it is just like the deep south....

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: Safeway
Oh great, a perfectly good Space Elevator thread tainted by the introduction of P&N-esque global climate change and Al Gore.

What has gotten into ATOT lately? Most threads get turned around into evil after maybe 30 to 40 posts.

If this was P&N, someone would have mentioned that the money that we spent on the war in Iraq would have paid for this space elevator around the seventh post

Seriously, though... We need a good old fashioned space race with China or India. Americans are becoming slackers when it comes to science, and we need good swift kick in the ass from overseas to get us pointed back in the right direction.

 

[everman]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Hey so if this works like a regular elevator does with cables and such, it means we don't have to accelerate to 24,000 mph right? Because technically you can go as slow as you want and still get into space as long as your cable can withstand the pull of gravity all the way into space.

Or am I wrong? Of course I think we all want a speedy journey up to space, but I don't think we need to make this rocket powered.

it does not use the cables to go up (at least the ideas i have read about) it uses them for a guide.

the propulsion is anything from lasers to steam

That's right, you just climb up the cable at a speed that gets you there in a few days. The problem with this is that you have exposure to a lot of radiation on this kind of trip unless you have enough shielding, which reduces the carrying capacity of the elevator. So it's not idea for human transport, but good for many kinds of cargo.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Hey so if this works like a regular elevator does with cables and such, it means we don't have to accelerate to 24,000 mph right? Because technically you can go as slow as you want and still get into space as long as your cable can withstand the pull of gravity all the way into space.

Or am I wrong? Of course I think we all want a speedy journey up to space, but I don't think we need to make this rocket powered.

24,000mph is for escape velocity, to get entirely out of Earth's gravitational influence. You don't need to get to those speeds just for reaching low Earth orbit.

 

[Oceandevi]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Hey so if this works like a regular elevator does with cables and such, it means we don't have to accelerate to 24,000 mph right? Because technically you can go as slow as you want and still get into space as long as your cable can withstand the pull of gravity all the way into space.

Or am I wrong? Of course I think we all want a speedy journey up to space, but I don't think we need to make this rocket powered.

it can take weeks/days. whatever is cheapest really. the whole point is saving money and resources long term.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Oceandevi

Originally posted by: DrPizza
I didn't mean there weren't other ways of solving population problems; rather, sending them off into space isn't really a feasible option, nor will it in the future.

You cant really know that. The first boats were canoes or something similar right?
Now we have cruise ships, cargo ships.... I just think that space tech is very much in its infancy. It has been stifled/ignored for so long now.

We have never even built an interplanetary manned craft. If we ever get to that point it will be interesting. Once we can "safely" and cheaply build in space we can expand as we damn well please.

Now how about the prospect of a private space agency/"air"line. These be very interesting days sirs.

It's not a matter of size... that can be overcome. It's a matter of energy; that's dictated by the laws of physics. That's why we'll never be able to build "cheaply" in space either. Well, relatively speaking, we can build more cheaply, but it's still...

I know: look at the size of the rocket engines and booster tanks attached to the space shuttle. They don't have those big engines for the hell of it. And that doesn't even come close to escaping Earth's gravity. Plus, the amount of energy increases with the square of the velocity... to double the space shuttle's speed requires 4 times as much energy. But, because you have all that extra fuel on board in the first place, you need additional fuel to accelerate that extra fuel to the original space shuttle speed. Of course... eventually we'll probably have fusion reactors...

Then again, we can only hope for the future of our civilization... we can put all the middle management people, hair dressers, etc. aboard a giant spaceship and send them off as advance scouts to get a new society started for the rest of us... (Hitchhiker's Guide reference)

 

[CatKillaZ]

I like that reference!

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Then again, we can only hope for the future of our civilization... we can put all the middle management people, hair dressers, etc. aboard a giant spaceship and send them off as advance scouts to get a new society started for the rest of us... (Hitchhiker's Guide reference)

And then what? Screw up someone's thousands of year long experiment? I think we can find more productive means of getting rid of middle-management, like with incinerators.