(quasarstrider) wrote in message . com...
(Bill Kno) wrote in message om...
CNTs will become less expensive to make. The space elevator will
become the "cheap" way to get, not only into space, but also as far as
Mars and the astroid belt.

Assuming they can make them strong enough that is.

Actually, I believe the final limit on Space Elevators will be
maintainence. Repair and upkeep on an object 50,000 km long in a
hostile environment (with asteriods coming in at 20 km per second)
will end up being more expensive then launching a high-tech rocket.
The other problem I see with an elevator is throughput. Realistic
elevator technology will make the time to orbit about a week, while a
rocket gets there much faster.

It may be more reasonable for bulk cargo, like modern trains, but it
probably will not be as cheap as other methods (using the same
materials) because of the maintenence problem.