Sufficiently Advanced Technology
Sep. 15th, 2003 09:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coalescentIn a report about the 2nd annual international space elevator conference (so only 48 years to go until they actually build one, then) there's this:
Bah. It's a space elevator! How can people not understand that a space elevator is just cool?
One unlikely problem could be capturing the public's imagination. "When we actually start launching this it's going to be kind of boring," Dr Edwards said. "There's no smoke, there's no pillars of fire and there's no loud rumbling noises. There's just this thing that slowly ascends the ribbon into space."
Bah. It's a space elevator! How can people not understand that a space elevator is just cool?
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Date: 2003-09-15 02:07 am (UTC)And why exactly do we need a space elevator? Must go look at site as long as it doesn't use too many big words.
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Date: 2003-09-15 02:08 am (UTC)Don't make me get all Sam Seaborn on yo' ass.
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Date: 2003-09-15 03:00 am (UTC)mmmm, sam. rob lowe goodness.
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Date: 2003-09-15 03:40 am (UTC)You don't know that. It's not like he's got a regular acting gig anymore, after all. :-p
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Date: 2003-09-15 03:13 am (UTC)Assuming Kim Stanley Robinson wasn't lying to me.
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Date: 2003-09-15 03:17 am (UTC)And who is the one?
The one with all the cute souvenirs, right?
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Date: 2003-09-15 07:25 am (UTC)Tom, tom, tom
Re: Tom, tom, tom
Date: 2003-09-18 04:47 pm (UTC)And, uh, if someone wants to donate or find some suitable pictures, i'd love to use them. The burst of inspiration by which i was struck was long enough to write the text, but not to do the pictures.
-- Tom
Re: Tom, tom, tom
Date: 2003-09-19 05:08 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2003-09-18 04:53 pm (UTC)The space elevator was invented by Yuri Artsutanov.
Well, first invented; it has been independently reinvented a number of times. The basic idea goes back to Tsiolkovski, but he didn't get the crucial idea of it being a tension structure.
-- Tom
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Date: 2003-09-15 02:53 am (UTC)It's almost worth the cost of a space elevator just for that.
So long as...
Also, how long would the ride be? An hour?
To really make it cool, they'd probably need to build an entertainment centre in the elevator car - be it a Zero G gym, or a Starbucks, or something...
Re: So long as...
Date: 2003-09-15 11:17 am (UTC)They have a point you know...
We can write off Japanese fandom, which is guaranteed.
Then again, if the elevator can become as commonly used as a car or train today, then public inspiration and excitement may not be that critical. Still, that's a mighty big if for something that will need public funding in all probability.
Re: They have a point you know...
Date: 2003-09-16 01:19 am (UTC)Yes, but the shuttle sucks. The shuttle is not quick, relatively cheap, routine access to space...
Points? Where we're going, we don't NEED points!
Date: 2003-09-18 05:15 pm (UTC)The thing is, the elevator is a lot cheaper than a rocket. At present, rockets charge about 2000 $/kg to low orbit and 12000 $/kg to geosynchronous orbit. They're expensive because the machinery has to be high-performance, and, mainly, because they have to lift their own fuel. With an elevator, the carriages are reusable and electrically powered, which means you basically only have to pay for the power, which comes at something like 1 $/kg to geosynchronous orbit. Just don't try building it in California, eh?
-- Tom