Space Elevator
A nonprofit foundation called Spaceward and NASA's Centennial Challenges program sponsor a competition called the Space Elevator Games. Each year, in the Mojave Desert, the participants, 3 teams this year, try to send their entries up a cable extending from a helicopter hoovering a half mile up. The vehicle must reach 6 tenths of a mile up while maintaining an average speed of 16.4 feet per second. There have been no winners yet in 3 years. The hope is to one day have a cable that extends from a ground structure to a structure in a geosynchronous orbit in space. The elevator would be powered by electricity from ground lasers trained on photo voltaic cells on the underside of the elevator. This would allow access to space without the danger of rocket power. Certainly a fascinating concept at least.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1864101,elevator-space-nasa-110409.article
http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1864101,elevator-space-nasa-110409.article
Comments
another post in what's kinda turning into a space/sci-fi series.
i don't know, that's an awfully long cable. people get annoyed by cords on video game controllers and phones because the get in the way and tangled up. this would seem to have incredible risks just from the possibility of the cable getting cut or damaged. but who knows, it might just be the future of space access.
i don't know, that's an awfully long cable. people get annoyed by cords on video game controllers and phones because the get in the way and tangled up. this would seem to have incredible risks just from the possibility of the cable getting cut or damaged. but who knows, it might just be the future of space access.
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 11/04/09 at 06:13 PM
that's what was in the article jfd. but you are right and i completely missed it. :red: oops!
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 11/04/09 at 06:37 PM
Geeze! Now we have to check the math before we post anything?!?
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 11/04/09 at 11:06 PM
(sorry, hit the [submit] button too soon. (Just got my coffee)
The problem with the article is the old metric vs feets bugaboo that NASA has had before. It looks like the facts were released in metric as the chopper was to be at 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) and the elevator car has to reach the chopper to win.
Having lived with metrics for that past few decades I <<<SERIOUSLY>>> don't understand why the US is holding out!
The problem with the article is the old metric vs feets bugaboo that NASA has had before. It looks like the facts were released in metric as the chopper was to be at 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) and the elevator car has to reach the chopper to win.
Having lived with metrics for that past few decades I <<<SERIOUSLY>>> don't understand why the US is holding out!
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 11/04/09 at 11:13 PM
good morning sunshine! i'm soon going to bed. nope, no metric here we are stubborn. you are right expat, that whole feet/meters thing has caused nasa no end of trouble. the mars lander comes immedately to mind.
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 11/04/09 at 11:25 PM
he he he... hoovering...
Posted by Salamander Sam in Chicago on 11/05/09 at 12:16 AM
Not so far fetched! The main rotor is "sucking air" from the top and pushing it downward so it could be said that choppers "hoover" the sky. 😜
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 11/05/09 at 03:04 AM
okay, okay i misspelled hovering. :red: my spelling ability (or lack there of) leaves something to be desired. i have admitted that before and at 45 i doubt it's gonna change any time soon. (or at all) 💋
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 11/05/09 at 05:25 PM
So it looks like we have a winner!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/04/AR2009110405052.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/04/AR2009110405052.html
Posted by Maggie82 on 11/06/09 at 11:00 AM
cool maggie! thanks for the update.
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 11/06/09 at 08:19 PM
well of course, who doesn't! and in space as well!
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 11/08/09 at 12:43 PM
now there's an idea, outeast you are a marketing genius!
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 11/09/09 at 07:39 AM
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