http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/
Grams is not a unit for a rope, and pound is not SI conform!

Greetings
Marcus]]>Oct 23rd 2006 7:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/2) When measuring weight you can use grammes for solids...]]>Oct 23rd 2006 7:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/Oct 23rd 2006 7:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/Oct 23rd 2006 7:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/Space Shuttle is a pipe dream.
Going to the moon is a pipe dream.
Surviving high altitudes is a pipe dream.
Flying faster than sound is a pipe dream.
A man flying is a pipe dream.

Here's to the dreamers.]]>Oct 23rd 2006 7:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/Oct 23rd 2006 7:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/
The space elevator will never be built. Ever.]]>Oct 23rd 2006 7:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/Oct 23rd 2006 8:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/Oct 23rd 2006 8:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/ "a slight gust of wind will topple the ting over after the first three miles, which if they will buid it within the next 50 years, will take probably a year every mile."

Could it be constructed in space and then lowered all at once ? In theory of course...

I tend to think the space elevator won't end up panning out either. Not a physical one anyway. Maybe a conduit of magnetic forces between/controled by a body in orbit and a base on the ground that sends up a car/payloads, but a 170 mile structure standing on end and reaching into space...

Even if it's technically possible, I doubt it will ever be economically feasible. I just don't see how it would ever have sufficient ROI.

And yeah, just imagine if it fell over...

But I, like some of the other dissenters, have nothing against dreams, and whole heartedly admit I could be wrong. I'd love to ascend into space on a dream forged into reality...

Best wishes pipe dreamers!]]>Oct 23rd 2006 8:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/
Wait a second....

Create a plane capable of being strapped to rocket engines and launched repeatedly into space? You are crazy man, dont make me laugh, hehe.

Wait a second....

Make a world wide network linking millions of computers to each other simultaneously enabling the near instintaneous transfer of information? Yeah, like that will ever happen....

Wait a second....

My point is keep an open mind, the things we said were impossible thirty years ago have become so common place we dont even consider them novel anymore. We have computers that fit in the palm of our hands more powerfull than computers that filled entire rooms, we have a space shuttle that flies into outerspace regularly (ok it has problems, but it still happens), and we have a little thing called the internet that was not even someones pipe dream thirty years ago.

Take nothing for granted, and say nothing is impossible, what was a pipe dream yesterday is reality today, and what is a pipe dream today could just be our future.]]>Oct 23rd 2006 8:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/Oct 23rd 2006 12:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/Oct 23rd 2006 10:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/Think more in the terms of it being a doomsday device rather than a means of transportation :)


HOWEVER a magnetic CONDUIT would be possible even if it is a bit out of our league right now.]]>Oct 23rd 2006 10:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_babel]]>Oct 23rd 2006 10:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/
Parralax is a b!tch, ain't it?]]>Oct 23rd 2006 10:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/Oct 23rd 2006 11:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/We still haven't cracked that one. The current discovery is like saying "Well... I've jumped over a stool... now let's try a skyscraper" ]]>Oct 23rd 2006 11:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/Oct 23rd 2006 12:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/Oct 23rd 2006 4:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/23/nasas-second-annual-tether-challenge-beset-by-controversy-yiel/
ok, Its going to be 62,000 miles long...not 170. At the end of it will be the counterweights...which wont be a asteroid, like you see in some early renderings, but it will wither be simple chunks of steel lofted up by rockets, and/or it will be left over "climbers", which is just another name for elevator.

It will not be in an enclosed structure...it will be a single cable/ribbon that will be appx. 3 feet wide and paper thin.

There should be one built around 2030.

And its not a really speedy elevator...it would take around 6 days to reach the top...at the currently studied 200 mph speed. But keep in mind...the vast majority of climbers wont go that high...hell the ISS sits at just 250 miles...But (for instance) if you wanted to put your satellite in a GEO orbit, which is around 22,000 miles, then that would take around 2 days...which is pretty quick considering most rockets get delayed many says anyway.

anywho...The Space Elevator Will be build with in your lifetime.
Public space travel is around 3 years away...But its to sub orbit, and will cost around 200,000 bucks...and it will be around 5 years until the first public space station is up there.

The days of big government's owning space are dwindling fast...and public space flight is catching on quick...public ventures will make money...something government funded projects cant do.]]>Oct 23rd 2006 11:28PM