Bring on the space elevators

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A slim cable for a space elevator has been built stretching a mile into the sky, enabling robots to scrabble some way up and down the line.

LiftPort Group, a private US company on a quest to build a space elevator by April 2018, stretched the strong carbon ribbon 1 mile (1.6 km) into the sky from the Arizona desert outside Phoenix in January tests, it announced on Monday.

The company's lofty objective will sound familiar to followers of NASA's Centennial Challenges programme. The desired outcome is a 62,000-mile (99,779 km) tether that robotic lifters – powered by laser beams from Earth – can climb, ferrying cargo, satellites and eventually people into space.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:32 (nineteen years ago)

powered by laser beams

fuck yes.

― elmo, patron saint of nausea (allocryptic), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:36 (nineteen years ago)

I've been following these guys for awhile now. Their blog is worth keeping in your RSS reader.

― The Equator Lounge (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:37 (nineteen years ago)

the future is now!

― Special Agent Gene Krupa (orion), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:37 (nineteen years ago)

not to be a killjoy, ned, but it appears this has not been created using carbon nanotubes, which any eventual space elevator would apparently need to be made from

and further, according to a scientist i spoke with last week who specializes in nanotechnology, a carbon nanotube elevator capable of ferrying cargo up into space is just not feasible - he said it would be "too floppy" - like a piece of cooked spaghetti - so whatever they use to rigidify it, they may as well just build the elevator from the rigid stuff in the first place

which is unfeasible, unless one uses carbon nanotubules

(rinse, repeat)

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:39 (nineteen years ago)

*bows* Call me flippant, but saying I was aware that this was merely a first step that might not lead to absolute success is rather an understatement.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:40 (nineteen years ago)

I would like very much if the robot evelator attendants wear those cute uniforms.

― elmo, patron saint of nausea (allocryptic), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:46 (nineteen years ago)

Tracer, either be more fun or put a sock in it, dude!

― Laurel (Laurel), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:46 (nineteen years ago)

hooray! carbon nanotubes!

also, have they named their climbing droids yet?

http://theatre.hum.uab.edu/rur/images/photos/silent_running_2.jpg

― kingfish has gene rayburn's mic (kingfish 2.0), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 18:12 (nineteen years ago)

This country began its slow descent into hell when Bruce Dern lost his sideburns

― kingfish has gene rayburn's mic (kingfish 2.0), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 18:30 (nineteen years ago)

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