Industrialization Of Space

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Anyone else think that the construction of a few SkyLadders would be the best option to start this?

If these SkyLadders were grounded on Earth's surface, wouldn't they just orbit and revolve as Earth does? No matter how big they are?

Why not try building a Cloud City first? We would need some kind of levitation technology for that ...

If these SkyLadders were grounded on Earth's surface, wouldn't they just orbit and revolve as Earth does? No matter how big they are?

Why not try building a Cloud City first? We would need some kind of levitation technology for that ...

SkyLadders would have "artificial gravity" though, due to the rotation of the Earth.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnwZmWoymeI[/youtube]

Before I input my thoughts on it, could you link that Wiki article again, I can't seem to find it. I remember hearing about the concept about 5 or 6 years ago (calculating its required length according to the density and cross-section area was a question on one of my Physics tests), but I want to see if they have a counter-measures for some of the problems I'm seeing with it.

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

You basically want the

(Gmm)/r^2 = (mv^2)/r
(Gm)/r = v^2

I think. Cancel or exceed.

Indeed, or at least similar equations were used.

The big problem I see, that wasn't brought up in that article, were the effects of the gravitational pull from the moon and sun. You're essentially going to constantly have the whole thing swaying back and forth in accordance to their positions, such a thing's impossible to avoid with a structure that long. With that comes mainly the problem of it constantly weakening the materials used until they finally fail, or the possibility that it would cause the whole thing to wrap around the earth. If they're somehow capable of overcoming that, I think it's a great idea, though other methods may be much more economically feasible.

Last edited by DNForrest on 01 Sep 2008, 7:02 am, edited 2 times in total.

Wouldn't the SkyLadders just be pulverized by interstellar debris?

That was covered in the Wiki article, but yeah, ultimately over time, it's going to be damaged/destroyed by some means or another.

Space planes (such as the Sanger design) are probably waaay more economical

Virgin Airlines has spaceplanes available right now. Richard Branson is a much more likeable & charismatic billionnair than C. Montgomery Burns, wouldn't you say?

BTW did Branson get knighted just because he has more money than God?

Arthur Clarke first popularized the space elevator concept in his "Fountains of Paradise" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountains_of_Paradise) but it requires a material of extraordinary tensile strength. Carbon fiber shows promise in that direction and there are now competitions by scientific organizations to develop the equipment. Carbon fiber is not yet ready but once the material is developed the concept is quite practical and far safer and less expensive to use than the current rocket system for getting material into orbit.

See http://www.space.com/businesstechnology ... 327-1.html