|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Question on the space elevator
to me to even consider the energy stored in the
pressurisation. My point was simply that the material that made the beanstalk feasible compared to conventional rocketry would help make rocketry more competitive against a beanstalk. certainly, very resistant and light material may lead to much simplified design , for tanks and engines (a hose that would not breaak whatever the way you plug it..etc..), and maybe (??) pressurized tanks would get rid of the pumps in this way , a rocket may be assembled within a few weeks and ready to launch with reduced infrastructure .. then the cost of the fuel may become a concern ... which is not today, compared to the overall costs of launches building an elevator would anyway requires some conventionnal launches .. we may never get this magic material for the elevator , though it seems now not completely impossible I read somewhere that the resistance achieved and tested for carbon nanotube/epoxy composite was half way to the required strentgh .. with hopes to do better the price of the material may now be over ¤/$ 1000 per gram ... IF someone finds a way to produce nanotubes by the ton , then many things may have to be reconsidered !! that may be tomorrow , that may be never ... I am very amused by the perspective of building bridges unwinding something that looks like scoth tape ;-) more than this, some people seems no to believe (or make others believe they believe) in the space elevator example: http://www.liftport.com/ (they even have a date for it : Countdown to Lift: April 12, 2018 ;-) or http://www.highliftsystems.com/ (or maybe this one ;-) : http://www.spaceelevator.ca/ when everything else fails ;-) -- Julie "please save Yuri" http://membres.lycos.fr/andromedanews |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
National Space Policy: NSDD-42 (issued on July 4th, 1982) | Stuf4 | Space Shuttle | 150 | July 28th 04 07:30 AM |
European high technology for the International Space Station | Jacques van Oene | Space Station | 0 | May 10th 04 02:40 PM |
Clueless pundits (was High-flight rate Medium vs. New Heavy lift launchers) | Rand Simberg | Space Science Misc | 18 | February 14th 04 03:28 AM |
International Space Station Science - One of NASA's rising stars | Jacques van Oene | Space Station | 0 | December 27th 03 01:32 PM |
Unofficial Space Shuttle Launch Guide | Steven S. Pietrobon | Space Shuttle | 0 | September 12th 03 01:37 AM |