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Space elevator is an alternative method of space transportation. The tether substance would be there as geo-stationary orbit and to be in the state of anchor and from there it would be prolonged to outer space. Tether substance is made of cables.
This designing philosophy would help out a vehicle to move from the earth surface to space. The anchored earth based cable to be nearer to the equator connected at one end of it and the other end to be connected to anchor substance located at the geo-stationary orbit.
This would ease out s connected at one end of it and the other end to be connected to anchor substance located at the geo-stationary orbit.
The second anchoring point which is at the geo-stationary orbit should be beyond to that.
It is a cable fixed from the equator to the space. Both the forces of gravitational force and centrifugal force tend to work in a competitive manner to hold the cable stronger even at the state of higher tensions.
The gravitational force which is forceful towards lower and the centrifugal force which is forceful towards the upper end which is situated nearer to geostationary orbits tends to hold the cable or tether it stronger ways.
With these presences of tether or competitive forces, the climbers could easily move to space with the help of different mechanical means to reach out to space and then return back easily.
Due to presence of such competitive forces, the tether rotates with the earth and still connected with space cable due to centrifugal force making it the stillest movement into spaces.
Over 5000 years, ago we have learnt about the concept of creating staircases to space in Hindu mythological scripts as well as in the later part of the nineteenth century we learned about some of the novels writing about it.
To construct a space elevator on earth surfaces the material that needs to be used should have been stronger and lighter so that the competitive forces acting for and again and in completely different momentary structures of earth and space should work relentlessly without any difficulties.
Carbon nanotubes are possibly taken as the best alternative to build tethering substance that would tie up from earth towards the space. Some suggest using diamond nano threads in order to make it most stubborn and stay upright while the climber moves from earth towards the space.
Then we could move towards other planets and sub-planets in constructing such space elevators. Even it has been seen that construction of elevator towards Mars is not difficult and it could be sustainable easily from the earth itself.
First it was mooted the idea of using a geo-stationary satellite at the other end of the node for anchoring of the space elevator.
This seems to be constructive and relative ideas and with due course of time we have seen the presence of such competitive forces both the earth and the space could create enough stability of the satellite to move in the correct posture.
The theory of using a counter weight to keep the cable in a still posture and then using weight in earth’s structure to make it position in still makes it the most realistic and composite earth environment.
At the ground level the size of the cable to be thinner and at the geo-stationary orbit the size of the cable to be wider so as to make it tapering with stress constant.
Later on research were made comprehensively to use what type of materials to be used within these space elevator and there has been different suggestions about it.
It has been found that it is estimated that the strength of this tethering cable needs to be twice as much as that of what it should have been in two different nodes in the earth surface.
After the designing and the development of carbon nanotubes, the concept of building a space elevator comes to a reality. The tethering substance to be used in the form of composite materials of carbon nanotubes.
It should be in the shape of cross section shape that would withstand the paranoid invasions of asteroids from time to time. Due to the presence of cross section of ribbons made of composite substance of carbon nano tubes substances that would provide wider segment to climbers by using rollers they could reach the other end of the tether of a space journey.
This is not an easier concept. People are still trying to build a perfect space elevator. There have been many difficulties and many hurdles for it as one should look towards two completely opposite ideas and how to gain from these ideas.
As more and more science develops we have been struggling to find key conceptualized elements and ideas to find out what does it make to reach out space.
While building up similar ideas we tend to move backwards time and again continuously with every idea that comes before us tend to be marginalized and becomes absolutely zero with due course of time.
The first problem of this concept is that there is no known materials still this time have been found which is stronger enough to sustain the tension of space, competitive tension of force as the form of competitive attractions from two different ends, the attacks from asteroids and so on.
Sending people with payloads into space through such large cable within capsules does not likely to solve any of this as the form and structure of cable are important in deciding about the journey into space.
That space structure should have been more than twice of earth’s circumference. This means it should have been approximately 100,000 kilometers long and it should have its own form and factors to sustain its own weight.
There has been no such substance in these similar properties in the earth exists. Still, there are a group of scientists still believe that these could be constructed and this could see the light of the day one day.
Nanotubes or nano threads made of diamond could be the possibility of building such tethering substance.
So far these are some of the outrageous ideas but in turning these to an absolute reality does take hard times as so far the more we think about space and its conducting elements in reaching out the more we tend to go back to wards with such ideas.
First we have to build such stronger materials that are capable of withholding such force that could have been far stronger than imagination. When we send and receive payloads and humans than the forms of safety is primary importance.
The debris floating in space far and wide could possibly hurt the movement of the space elevator.
No one known at any point in time, there could be possibly accident from asteroids and that could prove to be extremely disastrous.
Even if the space elevator is built and then the movement of the capsule containing humans in space also was difficult with such the presence of ribbon like stronger tethering materials.
There has been talk of using solar powered capsule vehicles running within this tethering wire to space in order to have controlled speed and straight forward movement.
It might have been an option for users in one day but in order to build it with lightweight metals seems to be a challenge for scientists but still it is not far from reality.
The concept of floating anchor is a well devised and nearer to reality concept. With due course of times, many satellites have been out of order and stay at the geo-stationary orbit as its end forms part of derbies.
By tying up one part of anchor in these dead satellites could sufficiently prove more powers for the concept of building up a space journey. Apart from this the material used for tethering should have been formed to diffuse radiation, meteor damage and thermal fluctuations.
Some say that the anchor at the earth end should also be one of the floating ones nearer to equator where there would be a lesser chance of hurricanes, cyclones and earthquakes.
The most prominent task is to find and build materials that could withstand above space irregularities and this is the main challenge. With due course of time, we could discover more and stronger materials. So far we have seen carbon nanotubes have been 13 times stronger than current other materials.
This should not be enough and there is news that the Chinese have made stronger materials with carbon nanotubes. With due course of time, we could invent such materials.
The presence of diamond thread could be a better option and more research required of it.
We could wait for some time and we would never know at any point of time there could be such innovation of such materials that could withstand such surface and outer space tensions emerging due to space radiations and still that time we have to wait and think about these concepts.
Sources & References:
- http[:][//]www[.]newworldencyclopedia[.]org[/]entry[/]Space_elevator
- https[:][//]bogotadeclaration[.]wordpress[.]com[/]declaration-of-1976[/]
- https[:][//]scitalk[.]wordpress[.]com[/]2008[/]03[/]13[/]what-if-our-moon-was-in-geostationary-orbit[/]
- https[:][//]jarphys[.]wordpress[.]com[/]2018[/]04[/]15[/]geostationary-orbit-translation[/]
Originally published at mohanmekap.com on August 17, 2018.
