"Ian Stirling" wrote in message
...
Dr. O dr.o@xxxxx wrote:

"Steen Eiler J?rgensen" wrote in message
...
Dr. O wrote:

My guess is that it will be completed in the 2020-2025 timeframe.

My guess is that it won't be done within the next 100 years. Today,
we're very far from possessing the necessary technology.

Did you read the article at all? The bottom line is: we're not very far
away
from attaining the necessary technology. And they're giving a feasible
timeline.


This will completely change our perceptions of access to space.

Of course, once it's built.

Thousands, if not millions will travel into space.

Why? Where should they be going? To GEO? Wow. Remember (even if you
build the darned thing), travelling at 65 mph, it's going to take two
weeks to get there!

There will probably be multiple stops along the way. To say, 400km, will
only take a couple of hours, probably less as the thing will undoubtedly
travel faster than 65mph. For most human activity, GEO isn't very
interesting at all. Most of it will be in LEO. But space mining may even
become feasible with such low-cost access to space.


Low cost access to space isn't low cost access to LEO.
You can't jump off an elevator at 400Km, and be in orbit.
(well, you can, but it'll be a short orbit)
In order to clear the earth, you need to jump off at around half-way up
(rough BOTE).


Halfway to GEO? That's 15.000km upwards! Why do you need to go up that far?
You can just use a rocket to push you into LEO, you're already going
15.000km/hr (motion of the Earth) so you'll need another 15.000km/hr.