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#31
09-22-2005, 04:53 PM
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Re: Feasibility of Space Elevator?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] it is quite possible given a huge budget [/ QUOTE ] Sorry. NASA's budget for the next several years is all tied up in the CEV, much to my employment delight. [/ QUOTE ] ill bet that some private corporations that could profit from this would throw down. NASA has spent or plans to spend some money on this to my knowledge, although im sure not enough. [/ QUOTE ] The US government is the only entity with a budget large enough to do this, unless all of Europe went in on it together with, say Japan and Brazil and maybe some China. There is no private organization or any feasible consortium of private organizations that could take this on successfully. 
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#32
09-22-2005, 04:56 PM
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Re: Feasibility of Space Elevator?
[ QUOTE ]
There is no private organization or any feasible consortium of private organizations that could take this on successfully. [/ QUOTE ] This is what I was thinking. It's probably a bigger budget than the next 20 years of corporate profits for the NYSE. I'm wondering how the govt would even finance it w/o serious inflation.
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#33
09-22-2005, 05:03 PM
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Re: Feasibility of Space Elevator?
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$10 billion and a decade? [/ QUOTE ] I now wish I had linked to this and this. Mmmm, wiki.
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#34
09-22-2005, 05:03 PM
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Re: Feasibility of Space Elevator?
A little research.
After reading the linked article quoting the feasibility within a decade, it should be noted that the authority giving this figure is Bradley Edwards, whos is director of the Institute for Scientific Research, Inc., which receives NASA contracts for such studies, and he also has a book on the subject. Thus, it is reasonable that he would want to portray the scenario as optimistically as possible.
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#35
09-22-2005, 05:04 PM
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Re: Feasibility of Space Elevator?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] it is quite possible given a huge budget [/ QUOTE ] Sorry. NASA's budget for the next several years is all tied up in the CEV, much to my employment delight. [/ QUOTE ] ill bet that some private corporations that could profit from this would throw down. NASA has spent or plans to spend some money on this to my knowledge, although im sure not enough. [/ QUOTE ] The US government is the only entity with a budget large enough to do this, unless all of Europe went in on it together with, say Japan and Brazil and maybe some China. There is no private organization or any feasible consortium of private organizations that could take this on successfully. [/ QUOTE ] i read it is projected at $10 billion. I think microsoft could handle that [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
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#36
09-22-2005, 05:08 PM
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Re: Feasibility of Space Elevator?
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i read it is projected at $10 billion. I think microsoft could handle that [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [/ QUOTE ] wiki quotes $40B. never trust initial estimates anyway as programs often are much more expensive in practice.
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#37
09-22-2005, 05:08 PM
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Re: Feasibility of Space Elevator?
[ QUOTE ]
A little research. After reading the linked article quoting the feasibility within a decade, it should be noted that the authority giving this figure is Bradley Edwards, whos is director of the Institute for Scientific Research, Inc., which receives NASA contracts for such studies, and he also has a book on the subject. Thus, it is reasonable that he would want to portray the scenario as optimistically as possible. [/ QUOTE ] that may be true.
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#38
09-22-2005, 05:09 PM
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Re: Feasibility of Space Elevator?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] i read it is projected at $10 billion. I think microsoft could handle that [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [/ QUOTE ] wiki quotes $40B. never trust initial estimates anyway as programs often are much more expensive in practice. [/ QUOTE ] yeah i just read that lol.
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#39
09-22-2005, 05:15 PM
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Re: Feasibility of Space Elevator?
[ QUOTE ]
i read it is projected at $10 billion. I think microsoft could handle that [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [/ QUOTE ] There's no way in hell you could design and build an operational space elevator for $10B. As a not-necessarily applicable, but still useful in comparison piece of data, the budget for Project Constellation (CEV) is projected at about $210B over the next 20 years. This is for a project based mostly on re-using existing Space Shuttle technology and design and other current technology. The space elevator is based on what is still future material technology.
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#40
09-22-2005, 11:49 PM
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Re: Feasibility of Space Elevator?
We may be close, but there are other details to consider. Like location (don't think it could be built on US soil, needs to be closer to the equator), security (and we thought the WTC was a big terrorist target), weather protection (it would probably need to be housed inside a mountainous complex that would be hurricane/tsunami proof). The tether itself would need to be sizable at the base and begin tapering once it reaches LEO.
Add in the socio-political requirements (it's not going to fall straight down in the event of a catostrophic failure, and it's long enough to wrap around the earth). All that said, it's daunting, but it would be well worth it. The per pound cost for sending material to space would be pennies or less.
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