Comments on: Nano skyscrapers may precede space elevator

The carbon nanotubes central to building an space elevator could have more practical and immediate applications.

[FisherKingKQJ]

nano tube elevator to space

Nano tube elevators to space would not be dangerous placed over magnetic north and south and might serve as heat exchangers for climate control.
Your article describes Romans attaching strings to arrows to build bridges. Well, from my interpretation of Genesis 11, to build the world's tallest building you would suspend a parachute like satellite directly over a casino tower and then run a laser beam connecting them as an interference antennae for mob phones. :) :) :)

[fishpierce]

Polar Elevator not possible...

A space elevator is basically a satellite in a geosynchronous orbit -- that is, it orbits the Earth once in 24 hours which keeps the satellite directly over the same spot on the Earth. The only place this can occur is directly over or very near the equator. We could certainly put a satellite in a 24-hour orbit over the poles, but it would not be geosynchronous since the satellite would continually be moving North and South as well as the Earth would turn under it (in a polar orbit, the rotation of the Earth is perpendicular to the orbit of the elevator... it must be parallel).

I like the idea of using a ribbon's radiant properties, though. Might something like this help mitigate global warming?

[FisherKingKQJ]

nano tube elevator to space

Nano tube elevators to space would not be dangerous placed over magnetic north and south and might serve as heat exchangers for climate control.
Your article describes Romans attaching strings to arrows to build bridges. Well, from my interpretation of Genesis 11, to build the world's tallest building you would suspend a parachute like satellite directly over a casino tower and then run a laser beam connecting them as an interference antennae for mob phones. :) :) :)

[fishpierce]

Polar Elevator not possible...

A space elevator is basically a satellite in a geosynchronous orbit -- that is, it orbits the Earth once in 24 hours which keeps the satellite directly over the same spot on the Earth. The only place this can occur is directly over or very near the equator. We could certainly put a satellite in a 24-hour orbit over the poles, but it would not be geosynchronous since the satellite would continually be moving North and South as well as the Earth would turn under it (in a polar orbit, the rotation of the Earth is perpendicular to the orbit of the elevator... it must be parallel).

I like the idea of using a ribbon's radiant properties, though. Might something like this help mitigate global warming?