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How High Can We Build?

By Dan8267   Follow   Sun, 10 Jun 2012, 10:58pm   1,039 views   9 comments
In Boca Raton FL 33433   Watch (1)   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike  

If we didn't waste 24% of our federal spending on the military, we could probably build a space elevator.

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1. CaptainShuddup Follow Befriend (1) 304 threads 5,307 comments

   1   12:35pm Mon 11 Jun 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike (1)   That would be a project I would hope that sabotage attempts would keep it from being a reality. Go try that shit on the moon first. If it collapsed, you think there's a debris belt in space now? Or the plasticized ocean is an issue. That calamity would be worse than 500 Gulf oil leaks.

2. Dan8267 Follow Befriend (17) 785 threads 7,970 comments Boca Raton, FL Premium

   2   2:49pm Mon 11 Jun 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   CaptainShuddup says If it collapsed, That, of course, would be a concern. Supposedly, carbon nanotubes can be biodegradable. Making carbon nanotubes biocompatible and biodegradable. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21776531

3. Vicente Follow Befriend (8) 209 threads 4,521 comments Davis, CA

   3   8:54pm Mon 11 Jun 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   CaptainShuddup says Go try that shit on the moon first. I'm in agreement with this. The science of materials has been running ahead of our understanding for a long time now. Example what happens to a composite aircraft on fire? Not much science on that, but let's build 'em anyway!

4. robertoaribas Follow Befriend (23) 56 threads 4,081 comments Scottsdale, AZ robertoaribas's website

   4   9:59pm Mon 11 Jun 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   if it collapsed.. as in structural failure? Ok, some simple thinking: I would expect it to fail AT ONE POINT first. I mean, it isn't like it would miraculously break at multiple points all at the same time... Then, it would turn into 2 structures, one with a center of mass above its geostationary orbit point. It would climb into a higher orbit. The other part would fall back to earth, making for a very exciting day... On the other hand, we basically put people/satellites on top of very huge bombs and light them up to go to space now. Not exactly safe, and very expensive per pound put into orbit. A project like this has the possibility to drop the orbital price of material by orders of magnitude, making scientific space exploration, revolutionary communications etc., much cheaper to consider.

5. PockyClipsNow Follow Befriend 19 threads 1,536 comments Los Angeles, CA

   5   10:07pm Mon 11 Jun 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   We need FHA to finance space condos and the elevator also of course. That way its a tax write off and totally worth it!

6. HEY YOU Follow Befriend (4) 357 threads 965 comments

   6   12:38am Tue 12 Jun 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   Some can get high without a building.

7. Michinaga Follow Befriend (2) 3 threads 283 comments

   7   11:44am Sat 16 Jun 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   In Kim Stanley Robinson's "Mars" trilogy, they build one as part of a project to terraform Mars, and revolutionaries destroy it. It falls down as the planet rotates, creating a belt of destruction at the planet's equator. I'd still like to see one of these on Earth, revolutionaries or not.

8. zzyzzx Follow Befriend (9) 436 threads 4,261 comments Baltimore, MD

   8   12:36pm Mon 18 Jun 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   I'm sure that there are better ways of moving cargo into space:

9. Dan8267 Follow Befriend (17) 785 threads 7,970 comments Boca Raton, FL Premium

   9   12:55pm Mon 18 Jun 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike