Space Elevators Are Getting Closer to Reality

Theories on how to build a space elevator have been around for decades. Scientists say not only would such technology change humanity, but that we could have built one by now.
#Space #Science #Technology
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[@ThekZnation]

Let's see if we're capable of building a carbon nanotube cable that's 10m long, before thinking about one that's 35700km long.

[@adamdin6243]

Lol bump

[@StevenHuangCA]

Yup. Very poorly researched video. Disappointed

[@GL-iv4rw]

omg I don't think we can make a meter lol

[@mokiloke]

Exactly

[@mokiloke]

@@StevenHuangCA Think the guy is just trying to attract funding by sell the dream. One day it should happen, once crazy hurdles are overcome.

[@dumpstershockey2746]

You’d need a lot of small talk in the space elevator.

[@gregorysagegreene]

The '60 mile high' club.

[@tbone5040]

You wouldnt hear it over the sound of my constant shrieking.

[@chrism.1131]

Just take a pill

[@kagethemage7256]

The problem is that nanotubes can’t be made hundreds of kilometers long with current technologies. So it’s sort of a moot point.

[@dankhalifa6937]

everything will has its time dont worry my friend..we just began to truly evolve, i cant imagine what will be after 100, 200, 1000years, we got first plane 120years ago, and got to the moon 50years ago, im afraid i wount be able to see the truly impresive inventions. if first plane-moon is only separated by 70years? its crazy to think

[@blackkissi]

I read your comment, and the latter sentence in the voice of Joey Tribiani: - "It's a moo point. It's like a cow's opinion, you know, it just doesn't matter. It's "moo""

[@khenricx]

Also last estimations of tensile strengh make it look very very hard t o make a space elevator even with the purest nanotube cables.

[@dankhalifa6937]

@@khenricx they will figure out something like they always do

[@SemiDad]

Everything changes when we develop dark matter receptors and dark energy focal points. Creating points of gravity that draw you towards that point.

[@td13414]

First two questions you need to ask someone when they think they have space elevators figured out: 1. How do you make sure it doesnt break? 2. What do you do when it breaks anyways?

[@offwhitemke]

We’ve been building pipelines, bridges and super tall buildings for decades and have not had a single problem with stability. A cable that is light enough and strong enough should be easy. 🤓😉 But seriously, I’d rather have resources mined from the asteroid belt processes and used in space. Most of it can stay up there and some could be brought down with reusable heat shields and parachutes. We are much closer to processing raw materials in space than creating a space elevator.

[@thecasterkid]

What are you worried about? A nanotube ribbon falling to earth?

[@ahabkapitany]

@@thecasterkid and everyone who's on it dying.

[@ahabkapitany]

@@offwhitemke do bridges also get bombarded by space debris flying 10 times the speed of a bullet?

[@thecasterkid]

@@ahabkapitany You could buy chutes on it. And people can die in airplane crashes and still fly constantly.

[@IbnBahtuta]

"...we could have made it ten years ago..." is a bare faced lie. No, we couldn't, and he knows it. Fire whoever does your due diligence, or even better, do it yourself.

[@Nah_nope_not_really]

Your listening comprehension is quite poor, as he said "started building it ten years ago". Hence, he does _NOT_ indicate when it would be operational or even at what state it would be at now... All he implied is that the foundations and groundwork could have already been set in motion. Bear in mind that most if not all space related projects take years if not decades to complete, so by all means and purposes he _is_ technically correct. Next time don't rush to judge others.

[@dsdy1205]

@Nope, you're incorrect You're talking about starting work on a project where the main building material does not yet exist in meaningful quantities, and hoping it will become available by the time you require it. I don't know if you've been a part of many engineering projects, but that's not how you get the project greenlit.

[@Nah_nope_not_really]

@@dsdy1205 I have not, but I know that e.g. the Apollo program was conceived a full decade before any missions and even though the JWST has only just recently been launched, we already have a concept for the _LUVOIR_ High Definition Space Telescope to be launched in 2039. Space projects take a loooooong time.

[@TempleGuitars]

@@Nah_nope_not_really "the Apollo program was conceived a full decade before any missions " They didn't make the Apollo spacecraft out of materials that don't exist.

[@Nah_nope_not_really]

​@@TempleGuitars "No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris… [because] no known motor can run at the requisite speed for four days without stopping." - Orville Wright The Apollo program overcame many other technological challenges and I bet many in 1960 argued against it because they considered it impossible.

[@tubanbodyslammer9125]

I dont think we are nearly as close as this video suggests

[@your20downrange]

I'm still waiting to hear how they intend to deal with the charge differentiation between the surface and the tethered station.

[@coreyfreeman6226]

Best spot would be at the equator, preferbly a place with not too many earthquakes like the west coast of Africa. or French Guiana and Suriname. The elevator and counterweight would use conductive material for the cable, shielding, grounding And probably an active charge management system to neutralize the charge on the cable and other components. We can also look into diamagnetic levitation of the elevator to reduce strain on the whole structure. We need stronger material development so all weights and movement of the elevator are supported. Nothing is impossible as long as you don't break the laws of physics. We'll get there...My 2 Cents

[@user-mp3eh1vb9w]

Isn't it still orbiting earth's gravity?

[@geoffgunn9673]

@@coreyfreeman6226 It has to be the equator, it won't work anywhere else

[@DavoY2K]

You must also consider another variable. A very important one. With the elevator cable you are actually making a short from one side of an immense capacitor/battery to the other. Have you ever seen lightning? Yeah, just like that.

[@joergkalisch7749]

😂. Longest lightning arrester gets pulverized

[@ranchan1111]

I think this is one of the simplest problems to solve. The cable wouldn't and shouldn't be a single piece of cable. It will be segmented and you'd just use insulating connectors.

[@DavoY2K]

@@ranchan1111 I doubt that very seriously given the energy involed. Have you ever seen a lightning bolt? You're not going to stop that. LOL.

[@geoffgunn9673]

@@DavoY2K Maybe harness the energy to power the elevator??

[@seven0987654]

"Scientists say", what scientists? The one guy who says we could have started 10 years ago based on an idea in his head with no actual headway made? Clickbait title for a misleading video. Space elevators would be rad, but they need A LOT of things to come together before we can start on them.

[@petemulhearn7787]

Nice theory and one of Arthur C Clark's favourites too but the survivability is questionable, not just from collisions with Space junk but weather events could be problematic and it would also be vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

[@TempleGuitars]

If only we could build it out of used toner cartridges. We'd have thousands of them!

[@bornkinggamer3347]

I'm not sure about the last one, even if you crashed a jet into it wouldn't it just slice through like a hot knife through butter?

[@Revelation6_7-8]

Flat earth terrorists?

[@petemulhearn7787]

🤣@@Revelation6_7-8

[@known3617]

Skyhooks are what humans will end up making. They’re cheaper, far easier to make without resorting to carbon nanotubes as the only suitable material, and not to mention far, FAR safer. A earth grounded space elevator poses to many different problems with safety. There are far to many unknown elements such as microscopic space debris trajectory and environmental disturbances on a grounded tether. Unless an entire earth based space elevator was covered in a force field from sea level to geostationary orbit they simply cannot work. Regardless how much tensile strength your fancy carbon nanotubes can withstand its helpless against being struck but a 2mm pebble flying at 40,000mph.

[@mrspirus5735]

1:36 Millions per pound to the moon??? Not true. I don't know what this guy thinks we use to go to the moon. It is 40 thousand per pound to the moon with the SLS and it will soon be around $225 per pound with the starship assuming it needs 4 other starship launches to refuel it to go to the moon.

[@yaad2226]

YO MAMA COST EVEN MORE TO SHIP

[@williamrobinson4265]

225 is so cheap thats crazy

[@mrspirus5735]

@@yaad2226 Bruh 💀

[@hisdarkestfear]

This video is the equivalent to someone telling you a party is an hour earlier than it is because they assume you'll be late.

[@Rob-sf4xy]

I think it seems more practical to build a space elevator on the moon or mars. Low atmosphere gravity and whatnot Edit: i also dont see how the rocket could escape with the rope it would be way to heavy

[@yaad2226]

YO MAMA GOING TO MOON AND MAR ?

[@0endofsilence]

I pictured rope stationed on earth with a rocket sorta pulling just one end upwards

[@yaad2226]

@@0endofsilence YO MAMA WILL BE THAT ROCKET?

[@clover6480]

moon has no rotation, but mars would be quite possible

[@karlkastor]

On the moon, it might be easier to just build an electromagnetic mass driver that shoots payloads away from the moon. And then you would have a tiny rocket motor that corrects the orbit a bit.

[@kaistrandskov]

There is an annual space elevator conference that started over 10 years ago.

[@joergkalisch7749]

Run by the flat earthers 🤓🤦‍♂️

[@deanmason5827]

And where do they hold these conferences, oh ya at the top of the space elevator.

[@kaistrandskov]

@@deanmason5827 at the major tech companies.

[@SoCalFreelance]

Show us a sample of the ribbon under load....🧐

[@stevenryan9705]

I just want to call out something nobody has mentioned. The elevator, once in orbit and simultaneously anchored to the Earth, would be "spinning" with the earth. As you get higher in elevation, the speed the elevator has to travel a longer distance compared to the "base" of the elevator. Assuming we figure out the engineering of just keeping the thing from breaking apart from the tension or failing due to heat from friction (no small feat), there is almost nothing that can be done about the unbelievably loud noise that would be generated from the elevator literally cutting through the atmosphere. Also there needs to be studies done on the effects a long antenna sticking up out of the earth, and how it effects our electromagnetic shield that earth uses to deflect harmful radiation from our Sun.

[@timothymartin1472]

How would it be cutting through the atmosphere when the atmosphere itself is moving?

[@lavkmr1]

Yes atmosphere moves with earth

[@adamdymke8004]

Quick question. If the cable needs to be that strong to support it's own weight, then it is also under incredible tension. If the ribbon of a cable fibre is damaged by a micrometeorite, what prevents it from explosively failing an damaging the surrounding cable. Do they plan of braiding it or something to prevent a cascading structural failure?

[@kanlu5199]

Use the anti-gravity generator.

[@RossEnzo]

How dumb do you think we are ?

[@scottwolf8633]

I remember reading about alternating superatomic lattices of Graphene/Platinum where the permanent Magnetic Field strength is on the order of 200-400 Teslas. One could ride the Earth's Magnetic Field from the ground to orbit without the requirement of any permanent structure.

[@mokiloke]

There is the other option that could be built now. Non geostationary, the hanging cable method. It could give us the experience we need to move forward

[@aajmgopher]

Are you referring to a skyhook?

[@detlefgrimm2178]

May want to consider drag and the fuel it would cost to stay in orbit

[@A31415]

Physics of non-geostationary don’t work. LEO orbit moves around the planet very quickly. You can’t hold it in one place. Which also means any LEO junk will eventually hit the tether at some high speed.

[@mokiloke]

@@A31415 Its actually on the board this plan, and may be built before earth bound. You are right though, its a non geostationary comes with its own set of problems, i think the plan might have had a lagrange point non geostationary satellite, with one end in a higher earth orbit and the other end running out to a large counter weight. It does sound unstable but ill try find where it was. The beauty was that it could be built right now with current materials

[@andreavaleri0]

It reminds me a thriller book written by Schätzing, I think it is called "limit"

[@jaredhill8721]

A space elevator needs to be built on the moon before Earth. All of the technology needs to mature first. The cable falling from space is really a tremendous hazard if the cable snaps.

[@coreyfreeman6226]

I saw this in the Apple TV show "Foundation" fantastic affordable idea to cheaply get people into space and save on energy to get to space

[@Elucidator-]

Not the Bloomberg Quicktake quality I expect, sorry. It is too short, too superficial and not really new.

[@applelord4746]

Elevator wait times would be out of this world 💀

[@AlexFoster2291]

Even if you lifted a spaceship on the space elevator, if you want to get to the moon or Mars you still have to accelerate past escape velocity. There also aren't carbon nanotubes longer than a few millimeters, so....

[@joergkalisch7749]

Gotta start somewhere 🙃

[@AlexFoster2291]

@@joergkalisch7749 it's like trying to get from New York to London by climbing a tree

[@johnwalker8417]

A great concept

[@donaldekhoff7999]

Even if a ribbon could handle the tensile loading, I find it highly improbable that weather could be managed. Ribbons under tension flutter and resonate viciously like the Tacoma Narrows bridge wind induced failure. With no restraint and huge sail area, the instability would be terminal under the best of conditions.

[@franciscovarela7127]

Yup, it’ll be ready to take stuff to near Earth orbit about the same time as commercial fusion power.

[@SelectCircle]

Which is never. 😆

[@malaysingh9649]

even if space elevater can be built from an altitude of 100 km above earth surface to 1000km in space it will change the space travel without facing the heavy winds in upper atmosphere.

[@pyrogotz5076]

Ah yes I remember sketching up a design for one in highschool lol

[@chrishajduk84]

"There's no reason why we couldn't have done it already". LOL I can think of like 10. Also $8B is a laughable estimate.

[@danielenogueira522]

If its's possible, I think that a precaution to reduce the risk of damages in cable is a cicle magnetic energy area around the cable. A repelent energy had been could move away any spacial material aiming protect tha cable.

[@TheAstronomyDude]

You posted this last year too. And the year before.

[@pjacobsen1000]

This video is a shortened version of another video that Bloomberg posted 11 months ago. I thought the whole thing looked very familiar. But what is it? Two guys who are proponents of space elevators, they believe in it, it's their thing, and they talk about how "it's possible now". Well, let's see. I'm skeptical.

[@Kragatar]

I think they're making it harder than it needs to be. Just use steel cable. Step 1: Get a satellite in geostationary orbit. Step 2: Rocket spools of steel wire up to it until it has the 35700km worth it needs to reach earth. Fasten each new spool to the last to make one long wire. Step 3: Unroll the completed wire down to earth. Step 4: Use "spider" robots to run new wire threads up to the satellite until you've created a massive steel cable under centrifugal tension. Step 5: Build the space elevator using the cable as your foundation.

[@user-dt7vt3cm2b]

Steel won’t be able to withstand all the tension, especially with this length, it won’t fall on earth, it will just break apart… and with carbon nanotubes, well they sort of can withstand that, but how about making a 20 meter one first and then think about 35700 km

[@Paul-kd3ui]

The force of the earth rotation,wind force at DIFFERENT altitudes, gravity fluctuations moon tides, total weight

[@remo1wodmnetwork9605]

So if you built it, how would you get anything up or down it with it getting fried? The atmosphere is charged with electricity. Ordinary radio towers have to be grounded. This thing would be constantly getting struck by lightning and drawing huge static electricity from dragging along the upper atmosphere; there'd be no way to insulate everything from it.

[@tbone5040]

I was kind of hoping that before we work on this,we come up with a longer,more flexible and all around less sucky shop vac hose. But I guess I'm just a dreamer with my head in the clouds.

[@ezequielv6390]

bloomberg is it slow in the news lately?

[@danielbarreiro8228]

I like the part where you say "just press the button, and you are there". Not quite, any trip would take several days. Just think of the fastest train on Earth doing almost a full circuit around the planet (well, 90% of it. Still, a lot). That's how long it would take. And it doesn't get any faster out of the atmosphere as you are still bound to roll over the ribbon. If you want to send people, you have to move a full hotel and supply it for several days.

[@stian1236]

Not really, space begins as low as 62 miles up

[@Eric-oj5sj]

Could probably travel at highway speeds for an hour, then speed up to several hundred km/hour once you are out of the bulk of the atmosphere. The only limitation would be heat build up on the ribbon, which should easily be able to withstand such speeds.

[@k1dicarus]

If you travel at 100 kmp/h you are out of the thickest of athmosphere withion 1 hour. Without an atmosphere you can accelerate to thousands of kmp/h.

[@danielbarreiro8228]

Atmospheric resistance is not the issue here. Levitating trains can go faster than wheeled trains even at sea level. The fastest train on wheels, a modified French TGV, could do just short of 600kph. The problem is that steel wheels over steel rails, the only kind that can handle such speeds, don't have enough grip. That is why tracks for high speed trains have wide curves and small gradients. There is no wheel that has both enough traction and the ability to sustain high speeds. Traction means friction and frictions means heat. High speed means rotating very fast and it gets to the point that even the best material disintegrates. Just like on the surface of the Earth we have big, slow ships carrying cargo all over the world and fast jets moving people, my feeling is that space elevators will be slow and cheap as ships, able to carry cargo which is not time critical but for passengers, it will still be cheaper to fly them on rockets since you save on the expense to support a passenger confortable and sane for more than a week of travel.

[@petemulhearn7787]

@@stian1236 The top of the elevator would need to be in a geosynchronous orbit to remain above the ground station and that's around 22,000 miles above the earth's surface.

[@RH4DZK1LL4H]

theres no military applications with just making carbon cables and elevators. there's a lot of military applications creating rocket engines for space and missiles

[@ccdccd8615]

I think the first test of concept should be one for the moon, then perhaps Mars. Both would be FAR easier than building one for earth.

[@thecyanadon]

There is a few *small* issues they missed. Wind, planes, debris, natural disasters, and also Earths rotation.

[@russellstephan6844]

Is basic math/science/critical thinking even addressed in school these days? Obviously, not... A circular geosynchronous orbit around 35,786 km out. Now, how fast is your space elevator going to travel and how long is it going to take to cover that distance? For reference the fastest elevator in the U.S. travels at around 25mph.

[@patrickvanrinsvelt4466]

I think the Shuttle did a test by reeling down a coffee can sized weight from the cargo bay. The wire was 10km long?

[@user-ri4mp5zm4o]

Very interesting!

[@InturnetHaetMachine]

Federal Reserve pumped $120 Billion A MONTH, to prop up bond and stock prices. All the other budgets for science and education are so puny in comparison. Puts things into perspective how America squandered their great privilege of reserve currency to make sure Billionaires stay wealthy.

[@michaelesplin529]

Keepin that dream alive son.

[@bluesunproductions9079]

This guy is living in la la land if he think this will cost $82b dollars.

[@techcafe0]

you're mistaken. the 'space elevator' is estimated to cost about 8 Billion; 10x less than the 82.5 Billion spent on the global space program in 2020.

[@komolkovathana8568]

No matter how light the Cable/Tether Bundle.. believe or not,..the Counter Weight/ Station in scale of 1,xxx tonnes...is way MINOR than Cable, itself (300,000 tonnes).

[@dsdy1205]

For reasons others in the comments have described, an Earth based space elevator will currently not work. But one on the Moon would. Building a space elevator on the Moon is achievable TODAY, with nothing more than Kevlar fibres, which we already make mile and miles of for bulletproof vests (military funding go brr). It wouldn't be as intuitive as an Earth elevator in increasing access to space, but it would allow cheap exploitation of Moon materials to build up a space economy in Low Earth Orbit.

[@Joy_Atheism]

When they will be able to public? Wich year?

[@yushion5804]

After watching the wandering earth 2, I just want my son can see the real one.

[@steviebailey8084]

Every time we pass through the ozone does it cause damage?

[@ryccoh]

Once you get to in space mining and construction it seems mostly unnecessary to do the elevator. The starship can bring a few hundred plus people into orbit for under a million

[@kinngrimm]

Having that would allow for heat generating industries to be put into orbit or on the moon, which would remove a detrimental effect of fusion energy.

[@tidepoolclipper8657]

We're really far off making any tube of carbon nanotube long enough for this purpose. Never mind the kind of damage that could occur if the cable snapped away from the ground or the platform in space is destroyed or malfunctions. Saying this technology will happen soon is deceptive.

[@Delosian]

Wouldn't it be a giant sail? Have they calculated the wind forces on this proposed ribbon?

[@Yvaelle]

They have but its not a big concern, a nanotube is only a few atoms wide, but yes the cable would have a slight bend to it because of wind, which is not usually drawn. It would be very faint though, the counterweight in space would be pulling it tight.

[@burningbum]

This is a reupload. Pretty sure it was debunked last time it was uploaded too.

[@anthonydefex777]

Interesting phenomenon

[@muuusirmoresays5210]

How long will the space cable car be

[@elreekosuaveh2509]

I'm curious to know what sort of reinforced cable could actually be used to keep the object tethered. What If the tether snapped!? What sort of safety precautions would be in place? I wouldn't ride it. Edit: we should focus on sending shorted stocks to the moon instead.

[@Yvaelle]

There was originally a proposal for a steel-composite cable but it created tons of problems, and no known composite would be strong enough, mostly due to having to lift its own weight. The only known material that can currently withstand the 'pull' is a carbon nanotube, which can easily handle its own weight, but we can't make them long enough yet to make a space elevator. If a carbon nanotube snapped it would largely drift back down to Earth slowly, or more likely, it would fling off into space: depending on where it was cut. A single nanotube would not only be strong enough to hold the tether in orbit, but also lift about 20 tons at a time into orbit, and we would likely want to braid 3+ tubes together, increasing that load, but also redundancy.

[@dexterrity]

as mentioned, carbon nanotubes could be used to keep the object tethered. as for if the tether snaps - the problem isn't it falling back to earth, but it is a problem for the people on the space lift who are, say, halfway up. it is also potentially a problem if the cut tether becomes a long flying ribbon of space debris that might hit other important objects in orbit. for the people on the lift... they might have a way to detach from the tether and have the lift reenter the atmosphere and glide safely to landing - which is quite possible with current tech. the problem of the tether becoming (even if temporary) deadly space junk is less obvious to solve, but I'm interested if anyone has any ideas.

[@danielmisgana2672]

Little emergency boosters at 10km intervals along the ribbon to guide it should the ribbon tear?

[@Shubham89453]

Use parachute

[@malachaiuys711]

Wind speeds can reach up to 155 miles per hour in some layer, you're saying that a ribbon will constantly be able to survive this?

[@yhnell18]

This didn’t explain anything. Why is this cheaper than present methods? How does the tension/counterweight system work? ELI5 “I don’t see why this isn’t being built” - Space debris, within the video, is accepted as a problem without a solution 🥴

[@peterhamilton7723]

beanstalk elevator would need to be built first around the moon, later other planets as the sheer potential energy could be cataclysmic in critical failure.

[@adityasanthosh702]

Building it is the hardest task I guess. How are you going to install it?

[@jonbigman9723]

I guess they have no clue about the potential difference between the ionosphere and the ground. There is no way they could do an elevator without it discharging our ionosphere and ruining our atmosphere.

[@ritzengineering]

Elevator has to take own Energy with it. Then the tube is big at earth and smaller at space. And it’s not quick. And the tube must be strong always. Quite a challenge also when carbon nano tube exists. But it isn‘t that cheap as told.

[@lawrencefrost9063]

You should search "foundation space elevator crash scene" after watching this video.

[@prilep5]

We should build moon orbit space station with elevator for testing purpose

[@vincentorlando6767]

We could supply the current space station, supply fuel to spaceships traveling to Mars and beyond, additional space stations, etc. Lots of benefits if this could be built. Space has resources to help improve mankinds life on earth

[@maximimaxima3327]

It's would be so great, there is no scarcity in space, for anything. So when the material is available and the numbers work, this will change the future.

[@anthonyhitchings1051]

The collision aspect alone kills this pipe dream

[@olivergill2903]

Lunar Tether is completely do-able now. There's a renewed interest in Moon shots so building one would give these trips greater purpose

[@scottdoesntmatter4409]

Gee, wouldn't it make more sense to start addressing the problem of space junk, since it would wipe out any space elevator attempt we make?

[@SomeKrieger]

Only a matter of time before a couple of hyper advanced drones try uploading their blue prints across the world

[@reel1tv587]

Meanwhile the elevator in my complex keeps breaking. Yeah I'm sure this will work. 😒

[@edwardbrown3721]

Imagine if there was no elevator in your complex and you had to take yourself up with a rocket, that's where we are today

[@thecyanadon]

@@edwardbrown3721 Not even close to the same thing but ok.

[@mrneveryoumind]

In summary. We can build this today. But it'll be almost certainly destroyed by space objects. Not very viable then is it.

[@ahabkapitany]

'We can build this today." no we absolutely cannot.

[@designatedpiledriver8216]

I can’t see how these things would be even remotely safe

[@jajuanrussell5386]

The tower at babel likely would have been the actual stairway to heaven like kame tower in DragonBall

[@peterflynn9123]

Just think about the physics.. the counterweight has to be in geostationary orbit. To that's 400 miles high. And the cable needs to be that long. And cut through the jet stream

[@L30GH05TDUD3]

Are two giant microwave powered V shaped propeller planes equipped with force fields and fighter drones going to be included in it too?

[@hjdhbcfjjb]

"what floor?" "2,786 please."

[@Fuff63]

Pelted by meteors going 25k km per hr, bombarded by continual radiation, subject to terrorism and greedy criminals, expensive maintenance, malfunctions, material fatigue, crazy stuff falling back to Earth onto civilized areas, junk floating in orbit around earth…what could possibly go wrong? It’s a nice dream tho.

[@gregorysagegreene]

We have one already ... Starship. 'Die Hard 2050': Oops, Hans!

[@Lunchboxicus]

How much would it reduce the rotation of the Earth? We keep spinning through the conservation of momentum and gravity,

[@ericwelsh4853]

There's too much space debris orbiting Earth. It would just be a matter of time until something severed the tether.

[@muuusirmoresays5210]

Is possible space cable cars

[@SevenRedSunsOfficial]

the physics behind this are more bogus than your minecraft girlfriend.

[@saudalkadi7558]

وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَا هَامَانُ ابْنِ لِي صَرْحًا لَّعَلِّي أَبْلُغُ الْأَسْبَابَ

[@kelstafo]

What about the space debris?

[@roboterson]

While we are "getting closer" I was very disappointed with the reporting here, many of the claims he made are false and there is no corrections done by the journalist. eg: -"Rockets are millions of dollars per lb" (1:40). While there was a point it was that much, SpaceX has been launching well below that, on their last launch to the moon(Dec 11) they did two payloads on a single rocket. Seeing at the lander was around 1000kg(2200lbs) and the launch cost is expected to be around 100M, his statement is already a few orders of magnitude off. -"There was no reason[why we can't make a space elevator]" (2:35). We have no material that has enough tensile strength to handle the earth gravity that can be made at scale. -"We could have started building it 10 years ago"(5:30). We are still unable to make long chains of carbon nanotubes, the longest I can see is around 0.5M , so I don't understand how he can say that without knowing he's lying.

[@kittendkat5100]

And the elevator would start here at ground level on Earth? Would it be able to withstand earthquakes? Hurricanes? How would it affect air travel? I mean planes would have to fly around it, needless to say.

[@IllusiveDude]

Just like fusion it's always going to be 20 years away.

[@johnchristian4821]

It's like a Space Kite

[@Astra2]

Why did you reupload this?

[@jaxtang5718]

Because China movie: The Wandering Earth 2 show how a Space Elevators work. =)

[@Xtariz]

Space age starts with the space elevator

[@thecyanadon]

Space elevator is just flat out almost impossible.

[@seanhunter111]

Spare elevators will be cheap, because the unobtanium the cable will have to be made of will be cheap. Since its imaginary it doesn’t have to cost real dollars. Also there will be no maintenance cost because maintenance cost is for real things. And you’ll never have space junk or bird strike or radiation degradation causing the cable to snap and come crashing down, killing people on the ground because those only happen to real things. All in all it’s a great solution if you’re looking for a technology that sounds amazing yet maybe just about achievable 20 years from now and you want to scam people today. The story about space elevators is always “The will introduce a new paradigm of cheap space travel/cargo deployment. They’re closer than you think!”