Company Plans To Build Space Elevator

[emad]

Apr 26, 2005 2:13 pm US/Pacific
BREMERTON, WA (AP) A company in Washington State wants to send an elevator into space.

The LiftPort company says it will open a plant this summer in Millville, New Jersey, to start producing nanotube fibers, which are 60-times stronger than steel.

The company plans to create an eight-inch wide ribbon that would stretch from an ocean platform 62-thousand miles into space.

A robotic elevator would crawl up and down the elevator to carry satellites and eventually people into orbit.

http://cbs2.com/water/watercooler_story_116173449.html

[freedom_to_read]

1. Fountains of paradise!

Arthur C Clarke ftw.

[phantom power]

2. I wondered if they were making progress on the material science.

Very exciting, if they are ready to begin manufacturing actual fibers!

[Worst Username Ever]

3. I was under the impression that nanotube fibers could not yet

be manufactured in lengths longer than 1/8th of an inch or so.

[BlueEyedSon]

6. Gonna be a short elevator ride!

[phantom power]

11. The ribbon will be composite. So 1/8 inch is actually more than enough.

The nanotubes are essentially like reinforcement rods. I don't know what the binding matrix will be. At this stage, they probably don't either.

[elehhhhna]

4. Sounds like Cartman's Ladder to Heaven. Excellent lyrics here:

Where were you when they built the Ladder to Heaven?
Did it make you feel like crying?
Or did you think it was kinda gay?
Well I for one believe in the Ladder to Heaven
Ooh yeah yeah yeah, 9-11
I said 9-11 9-11 9-11 9, 9-11

Where were you
When they ran out of stuff to build the Ladder to Heaven?

Where were you
When they saved that Ladder to Heaven?

Where were you
When they decided Heaven was a more intangible idea
And couldn't, you couldn't really...get there?
You little bastards ruined my latest song!!

[Renew Deal]

5. Tower of Babel part 2?

O8) What will God do now?

[BlueEyedSon]

7. What kind of Muzak you think they're gonna play on that elevator?

:)

[emad]

8. and what kind of panic button & repair crew is planned for when

it breaks down?

[LeftCoast]

9. I don't think I'm exagerating when I say that building a space elevator

could be one of the most important events in human history. I truly hope they can accomplish this in my lifetime!

[GreenPartyVoter]

13. I think it's a wacky idea. Can yu imagine the torque from the wind sheer?

[LeftCoast]

19. Well, I'm hardly a material science engineer, but

*IF* they can do it, it will be a great day for humans.

[emad]

14. But would you buy shares in the company that's pioneering this?

remember the Channel Tunnel/////

[Geo55]

10. LOL......&.......no this ain't funny

When the oil crunch comes (already here, though not severe) they will be consigned to what may have been possible in our every present creative human mind dust heap.
1.Ya gotta FEED humans
2.Ya gotta keep them warm.
3.Ya gotta not destroy humans habitat...(i.e. EARTH )

[Renew Deal]

12. So God will take away the oil to stop this?

Maybe that's it. ;)

[Geo55]

16. unh ?

If you want to believe in a wrathful give/take GOD,...the you may consider that HE GAVE us this wonderful resource which we proceeded to squander in pursuit of ego gratification.

[Double T]

15. You mean there is finally going to be a way ....

.. to get off this crazy planet.

[StuckinBFE]

17. I thought NASA has already done some experiments with dropping a tether

down into Earth's atomsphere. If they get this to work I think it will be a great idea, but I think they face a great many problems.

[giant_robot]

18. That is so cool.

I'd love to see this happen.

http://www.elevator2010.org/site/primer.html

[Az]

20. This news popped up a few years ago

I think this might be the same group that was talking about it then.