I have been following the stories on the news wires lately regarding the proposed space elevator. For those of you who are NOT geeks, this is an idea proposed by Arthur C Clarke in 1979, It has been called a beanstalk (after the famed exploits of Jack) as well. Put simply, it is a cable connecting the ground to an object (space station) in orbit. The latest discussions are taking place in Japan.
The biggest challenge? How to make a cable 30,000 km long. The scientists involved have settled on carbon nanotubes as the material to use (180 times stronger than steel cable). They expect to sove the cable problem within the next 15-20 years.
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