The whimsical concept sounds like an outlandish idea, but those in charge say it can be made to work
When it comes to space exploration, while the most common thing is to rely on rockets to launch astronauts and cargo, there are those who say they can fold paper and reach the moon. There are many satellites around the earth, perhaps, In a few decades Let’s talk about one A gated system of one New generation transportation towards the stars. It’s science fiction at this point, but an unusual idea.
Without rockets, but by elevator to space
Company Obayashi Corporation Hopes that extraterrestrial travel doesn’t have to be restricted by gigantic rockets and high costs. There is a type of structure that is not new to the minds of the most innovative engineers, but which does not yet seem possible to our knowledge. Or maybe yes. It’s not for us to say, but the Japanese company invites us to find out Space elevator project.
Since implementation in our era is practically impossible, the idea is simple to grasp: Plan a A space elevator that connects the Earth’s surface with the space station in our orbit And could serve as the basis for future elevators that connect us to other celestial bodies in the solar system, such as the Moon or Mars.
A picture of a port where one climbs into space
The company assures that ‘the concept is considered feasible from a construction point of view and is currently being developed’. It all starts with a port located in the ocean, from where the elevator rises to Earth orbit. This port Floating on the equator of the planet and will be It is connected to the coast through a 10 kilometer underwater tunnel About the length
This port Not only is the entrance and exit door for transportation through the space elevator, but it is functional Cable anchor point join with Spacious station In orbit. It will be located Geostationary Orbit36,000 kilometers high, and will be a vertical modular station capable of being expanded in the future and powered by solar energy collected by nearby panels.
A recreation of the harbor that serves as a base for the Obayashi Corporation space elevator
Solar power generation can also transmit excess energy to Earth, he said. At the end of the cableBeyond the station and 96,000 kilometers from Earth, a counterweight Will work forever Solar System Exploration GateAllows ships to be sent to ‘extract resources from other planets and other parts of the solar system such as Jupiter and asteroids’.
for now, This concept It’s very nice, but it’s obvious Many points to solve Before starting a construction, this will be the largest work ever created by our species. To conclude this presentation of the space elevator, we reveal what we believe to be the main obstacles to its creation:
- If the cable is to be made of stainless steel, Our planet doesn’t have that much stainless steelAccording to him Article by Christian Johnson on the Journal of Science Policy & Governance website.
- Instead of stainless steel, other materials can be used, for example, Carbon nanotubes. In this case, its production will be problematic, as the longest carbon nanotube ever created is only 60 centimeters.
- We have to consider that Creating a new objectSomething that requires years or even decades of research.
- Have to contend with cable elements So that it does not break due to the tension it has to bear.
The A Japanese company Make sure you take all these issues into account 2025 can Start construction A mega project worth 100,000 million dollars. On the horizon, there 2050Date First scene by one Space elevator At this point, it’s more fiction than science.
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