] At the heart of a space elevator would be a cable ] reaching up as far as 100,000km from the surface of the ] Earth. The earthbound end would be tethered to a base ] station, probably somewhere in the middle of the Pacific ] ocean. The other end would be attached to an orbiting ] object in space acting as a counterweight, the momentum ] of which would keep the cable taut and allow vehicles to ] climb up and down it. ] ] A space elevator would make rockets redundant by granting ] cheaper access to space. At about a third of the way ] along the cable -- 36,000km from Earth -- objects take a ] year to complete a full orbit. ] ] If the cable's center of gravity remained at this height, ] the cable would remain vertical, as satellites placed at ] this height are geostationary, effectively hovering over ] the same spot on the ground. ] ] To build a space elevator, such a geostationary satellite ] would be placed into orbit carrying the coiled-up cable. ] ] One weighted end of the cable would then be dropped back ] towards Earth, while the other would be unreeled off into ] space. ] ] Mechanical lifters could then climb up the cable from the ] ground, ferrying up satellites, space probes and ] eventually tourists. Sign me up. |