Imagine stepping inside an elevator. The doors close, and you don an oxygen mask. You begin your ascent from the basement of a complex on Earth, and then when the doors open again, you’re walking (floating, really), out the doors. You just traveled 100,000 kilometers (62,100 miles) to the new Earth space station.

Doesn’t that sound a little far-fetched? I mean, really? A Space Elevator? Come on. Well, it’s not that far from being a reality.

Scientists actually think they could have a go at constructing such a Sci-Fi contraption. In fact, they think they can do this by 2025 and have it extend from the Earth 1000 kilometers (621 miles) above the planet, and they think they could stretch this elevator as far as 100,000 kilometers, ten years after that.

Research shows that we nearly have all the technology already discovered that we would use to build such an endeavor. It would be expensive, and there are numerous obstacles needing to be addressed. However, the benefit of being able to launch a payload every two days at the cost of $500 per kilogram, as opposed to what we have today (oh yeah, we don’t have our own method right now), at $20,000 bucks per kilogram to launch.

The complex would be tethered to the Earth at the equator. The cable would then be fastened at the other end by a counterweight that stretches way beyond the Geostationary orbit at 35,800 kilometers (22,236 miles), up.

Wow, that’d be quite a heavy cable? How do they expect overcome that weight issue, yet have the cable strong enough to support itself from the gravitational pull of the planet?

The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), reports that the material would have to be constructed from carbon nanotubes and similar material. This is one of the largest obstacles that would have to be overcome, as we currently don’t have the material. Significant research must be placed on the existing technology in order to create the perfect material that could support this massive undertaking.

Material science of other countries are close to inventing the stuff. Existing technologies are little help, but they are getting close to a material that can support 100 kilometer mark. However, that’s still a significantly lower altitude than would be needed. This new material must have strength, flexibility, and density for this to work.

The advantages outweigh the initial costs, as well as maintenance costs. Government spends billions installing space orbiting infrastructure. Channeling some of those funds would go a long way in advancing our ability to build more space stations and a moon base. They even said trips to Mars would be feasible as well as mining the asteroid field. Gee, just what my book, Salvage-5 is all about; mining the asteroid field for valuable resources.

“The design is really simple,” says an article from extremetech.com, “A sea platform (or super-ship) anchors the tether to Earth, while a counterweight (also called an “apex anchor”) sits at the other end, keeping the system taught through centripetal force.”

The article goes on to say that perhaps garbage, or old satellites could be used as the initial counterweight, but also argues that the tether itself could be used as the counterweight.

Several other small things would have to be considered as well. Such as, how would the area be protected from Earth’s elements, or an enemy attack? Who would “own” the land rights, or who would control the station in space? Those are just some of the questions that would be raised during the planning stages of any such endeavor.

Author C. Clark once said that we’ll build a space elevator 10 years after they stop laughing at it. Apparently, the laughing has stopped and NASA has begun serious consideration to this possible new technology. As budgets shrink and new emerging technology is born, we will have to have some type of new innovative ways to access space.

I must say, I’m not all too happy about the seven day trip that the scientists think it would take. Perhaps by the time they perfect the technology, it won’t take seven days. As for me, I’ll stick to the ground and writing about those endeavors. Now if the trip was as simple as a couple of minutes, well, hey, you never know. Maybe I’ll step inside one someday in the not too distant future, but not for seven days.

From the Author’s chair,

Brian K. Larson