Space Elevator conference gets theoretical, says lift won’t not happen in 150 years

With the shuttle program being mothballed, we will want a new method to get off this rock. How about that old space ladder concept? You realize, the only riddled with issues that just about trump its ambitions. The belief has faced its share of technological walls: NASA’s related Beam Power Challenge ended with out a winner for years on end, and the project’s Tether Challenge remains unconquered today. Let alone that the week-long lift might expose you to deadly levels of radiation . Lucky for us, attendees of the yearly Space Elevator Conference aren’t able to admit defeat, and got to work last week brainstorming potential solutions. Could we replace the laser power system with solar panels? How strong are modern nanocarbons, and what issues will we must be conscious of to maintain the carbon nanotube cables from breaking? Would it not be cool if a higher design featured six cars in preference to just three? Although the outpouring of ideas flowed like water, the response to a lot of them gave the impression to be an analogous: we actually ought to check out that. Despite the seemingly insurmountable issues, researchers remain optimistic, “We attempt to not be narrow-minded and say it won’t happen for 150 years,” stated one NASA program manager. We’ll just take the steps, thanks.

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This post is tagged: carbon nanotube, potential solutions, power challenge, shuttle program, space elevator, technological walls