Comments on: THE SPACE ELEVATOR http://sharkride.com/blog/2006/01/11/the-space-elevator/ A Wm. Matthew Jaunich presentation of innovative concepts. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:05:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Brian Dunbar http://sharkride.com/blog/2006/01/11/the-space-elevator/#comment-4 Brian Dunbar Fri, 13 Jan 2006 07:45:25 +0000 http://sharkride.com/blog/2006/01/11/the-space-elevator/#comment-4 I'm not sure you'd call our test secretive - we're certainly not shy about letting people know it happened. The test in question was kept close-held before the fact to keep the press and curious public away for good reasons. Those included but were not limited to insurance reasons. If the aerostat got away from us or something fell off and hit someone we'd have no end of insurance hassles - basically we were covered by our insurer but only if civilians were kept far far out of harms way. It was felt that 'back in town' was a good safety distance. As for what keeps it up .. why gravity. Kinda sorta. The genuine explanation can be found on our website under FAQ, or use the Wikiepedia Space Elevator entry for a good grounding in things space elevator. But in a nutshell .. An SE is a structure under balanced tension. By contrast a building (think the Sears Tower in Chicago) is under compression. The midpoint of an SE is at GEO - a point in orbit around earth that apears fromt he ground to be fixed in the sky. Half of the SE hangs down (in) from that point and touches the earth. Half hangs up (out). If you will - think of a satellite dragging a long antenna both up and down as it circles the earth. What keeps the counterweight out there is centripital force - think string and rubber ball and slinging it around your head where your head is the earth and the ball is the counterweight. All of this is simplyfying greatly of course, but you should get the basic idea. I myself know of no involvement with Google. But that would be keen - maybe I'd get a tour of their data center ... I’m not sure you’d call our test secretive - we’re certainly not shy about letting people know it happened. The test in question was kept close-held before the fact to keep the press and curious public away for good reasons. Those included but were not limited to insurance reasons. If the aerostat got away from us or something fell off and hit someone we’d have no end of insurance hassles - basically we were covered by our insurer but only if civilians were kept far far out of harms way. It was felt that ‘back in town’ was a good safety distance.

As for what keeps it up .. why gravity. Kinda sorta. The genuine explanation can be found on our website under FAQ, or use the Wikiepedia Space Elevator entry for a good grounding in things space elevator. But in a nutshell ..

An SE is a structure under balanced tension. By contrast a building (think the Sears Tower in Chicago) is under compression. The midpoint of an SE is at GEO - a point in orbit around earth that apears fromt he ground to be fixed in the sky. Half of the SE hangs down (in) from that point and touches the earth. Half hangs up (out).

If you will - think of a satellite dragging a long antenna both up and down as it circles the earth. What keeps the counterweight out there is centripital force - think string and rubber ball and slinging it around your head where your head is the earth and the ball is the counterweight.

All of this is simplyfying greatly of course, but you should get the basic idea.

I myself know of no involvement with Google. But that would be keen - maybe I’d get a tour of their data center …

]]> By: Administrator http://sharkride.com/blog/2006/01/11/the-space-elevator/#comment-3 Administrator Thu, 12 Jan 2006 19:45:26 +0000 http://sharkride.com/blog/2006/01/11/the-space-elevator/#comment-3 The first SHARKRIDE comment!! Thanks! I assume - because space has no gravity - that the counter-weight just floats up there. I don't know how much the elevator would weigh - several different prototypes are being developed. I've read that Sergey Brin and Larry Page have an avid interest in the concept. Google is building a research center at NASA/Ames, but no official word from Google about any involvement in the elevator concept. The first SHARKRIDE comment!! Thanks! I assume - because space has no gravity - that the counter-weight just floats up there. I don’t know how much the elevator would weigh - several different prototypes are being developed. I’ve read that Sergey Brin and Larry Page have an avid interest in the concept. Google is building a research center at NASA/Ames, but no official word from Google about any involvement in the elevator concept.

]]> By: Jon http://sharkride.com/blog/2006/01/11/the-space-elevator/#comment-2 Jon Thu, 12 Jan 2006 08:10:29 +0000 http://sharkride.com/blog/2006/01/11/the-space-elevator/#comment-2 Interesting article, but I wonder how the counter weight stay in space. How much will the elevator itself weigh? Interesting article, but I wonder how the counter weight stay in space. How much will the elevator itself weigh?

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