[imagesource:gencraftai]

The key element towards bringing the “Space Elevator” dream to life is in the works.

Until now, the idea seems like a sci-fi fantasy but since the discovery of CNT by a Japanese engineer in 1991, progress towards its creation is getting faster.

Basically, a cable made from carbon nanotubes (CNTs) measuring 96,000 kilometres long will form the base of the journey’s route. CNTs were discovered by a Japanese engineer way back in 1991, and are the only material appropriate for such a feat.

The space elevator cable, which will stretch through the Earth’s atmosphere, will carry materials and people using wheeled lifts called “Climber”.

Image: Obayashi Corporation

The Space Elevator Construction Concept will take place over multiple stages.

1. Building materials for the space lift will be delivered by a rocket in several stages to build a spaceship in low Earth orbit (LEO).
2. The spaceship will use electric propulsion to move up as it circles around the Earth, reaching geostationary Earth orbit (GEO). That is where it will start to rotate at the same speed as the Earth’s rotation.
3. Once the spaceship reaches an altitude of 36,000 km, it will move up while releasing the CNT cable with thrusters attached to its tip. After 8 months from the rocket launch, the cable will reach the Earth’s surface. When the spaceship reaches an altitude of 96,000 km, it will then become a counterweight.
4. The climber for construction goes up while attaching reinforcing cables and joins the counterweight at the top. By reinforcement about 500 times, a 100-tonne climber can be used.
5. With the completed Climber, materials will be carried to an altitude of 36,000 km to complete the GEO station.
6. Earth Port is a gateway to space on Earth. The Earth Port is built in two sections, one on land at the equator and one at sea, connected by an undersea tunnel.

Floating Base “Earth Port” | Image: Obayashi Corporation

The allure is that once the space lift is built, it will be less expensive to go into space and more sustainable as there is no fuel or toxic chemical waste.

At a launch speed of 150km/h, the Climber will reach an altitude of 400km, where the International Space Station is located, in about 2.5 hours. That is almost the same as travelling between Tokyo and Osaka – the two major cities in Japan – by bullet train. Each launch will probably cost around several million yen or a few thousand dollars, according to Obayashi Corporation’s calculations.

Construction is set to start in 2025, and, if all goes to plan, we could be ‘pressing an elevator button’ to reach space by 2050.

Watch this space.

[source:supercarblondie]