ZZ revised this gist . Go to revision
No changes
ZZ revised this gist . Go to revision
1 file changed, 22 insertions
Gemini4-Space-Elevator-Viability.md(file created)
| @@ -0,0 +1,22 @@ | |||
| 1 | + | On Earth, the space elevator concept is not currently viable because we lack the advanced materials required to build a tether tens of thousands of kilometers long. [1, 2] | |
| 2 | + | Why It Fails on Earth | |
| 3 | + | ||
| 4 | + | • The Material Challenge: A cable must stretch roughly 35,786 kilometers (22,236 miles) into geostationary orbit. Traditional materials like steel would snap under their own immense weight within a few dozen kilometers. | |
| 5 | + | • Manufacturing Limits: Scientists look to carbon nanotubes or graphene for the necessary strength-to-weight ratio. However, humans cannot yet mass-produce these microscopic materials in long, defect-free chains. | |
| 6 | + | • Catastrophic Risks: A break or collapse of the tether would cause massive, catastrophic destruction along Earth's equator. Space debris, severe weather, and sabotage also present extreme security hurdles. [1, 5, 6] | |
| 7 | + | ||
| 8 | + | Where It Might Work Instead | |
| 9 | + | ||
| 10 | + | • The Moon: Lower gravity and the lack of an atmosphere make a lunar elevator much easier to build. Engineers could use existing fibers like Kevlar anchored to Earth-Moon Lagrange points. | |
| 11 | + | • Mars: The Red Planet has weaker gravity and a shorter required orbit, which means standard commercial materials could theoretically support a Martian space elevator. [2] | |
| 12 | + | ||
| 13 | + | Would you like to explore alternative launch concepts like orbital rings or skyhooks? | |
| 14 | + | AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses | |
| 15 | + | ||
| 16 | + | [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskScienceDiscussion/comments/191mgtz/are_space_elevators_really_an_useful_concept/ | |
| 17 | + | [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqtyZ-3dNto | |
| 18 | + | [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3wwqRnOyk0 | |
| 19 | + | [4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eRFAu4RR-U | |
| 20 | + | [5] https://www.reddit.com/r/AskScienceDiscussion/comments/191mgtz/are_space_elevators_really_an_useful_concept/ | |
| 21 | + | [6] https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/comments/1wcik9x/the_first_space_elevator_where_would_we_build_it/ | |
| 22 | + | ||
Newer
Older