Aspace elevator , carrying mass and object off the planet and into orbit , is the form of coolheaded mega - engineering undertaking that thrills science - fable fans . But it could happen in your life-time ( if you ’re young ) , and it may save the major planet .
This is a challenge in materials applied science in which the tether provided by each team is subjected to a pull mental testing . In guild to acquire the $ 2 million prize , the tether must outmatch the strength of the best available commercial lead by 50 percent with no increase in spate . A tether that can win this challenge would be a major gradation forward in materials technology . Such improved stuff would have wide range of program in space and on Earth . In preceding old age the Tether Challenge was defend in conjunction with the Power Beaming Challenge at an upshot call the Space Elevator Games . In 2009 the events will be separate . Some outer space partisan see the potential of wireless power transmission and high-pitched - strength tethers being combined to make the space elevator , a concept that would fetch about a revolution in blank activity . The space elevator and even infinite solar superpower may be many eld away , but spectacular improvements in exponent beaming and tether materials that result from these challenges can leave to many approximate - term innovations in a wide range of fields .
This year the Tether Challenge will be held at the 2009 Space Elevator Conference in Redmond , Washington in August .
So far , early reportscoming out of the conference indicate that mass are still grappling with the challenges of create a space lift , which may still be decennium away . But the ontogeny of carbon nanotubes is an supporting polarity . If we did have a distance lift , the prohibitive cost of getting hoi polloi and materials into orbit — and explore the solar organization — would drop staggeringly . But perhaps more importantly , it might also save our surroundings . write PC World :
Several of the experts agreed that one intellect to ramp up a humble - cost transportation method is to build up satellites for bring forth solar free energy . “ Solar - big businessman planet is really the biggest need to haul lumbering material to geosynchronous EL , ” said Keith Henson , founder of L5 Society .
[ Bryan ] Laubscher agreed , tell that space solar power will be the 2d liberal money - Jehovah in space , after the exist communication market .
With a space elevator , you could establish massive solar energy farms in orbit and send energy back to Earth , reducing our dependency on fossil fuels — just as long as you found a way to grapple with the ever - present peril of infinite junk , which would be constantly threatening to smash into your prissy shiny elevator .
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