I heard from my physics teacher that an elevator to space was in consideration and couldn't believe it. Once created, not only would it be cheaper to travel to space (no billion dollar rocket projects and whatnot), but sooner or later, for a price, the public could access the elevator. This is what he told me, and I found an article from popsci.com.
Space Elevator: Most of a rocket’s fuel is spent blasting through Earth’s thick atmosphere and out of the planetâ€s strong gravitational field. But here’s an alternate strategy for getting payloads up to space: Construct a 62,000-mile-long cable jutting straight out from the equator, hold it in place with centripetal force, then lift satellites and spacecraft out of the atmosphere with a giant freight elevator. One major hang-up: Cable strong enough to support the system does not yet exist, though it could be made from carbon nanotubes. Shown above is “The Climber” which will carry the payload. -John Macneill
For the complete article: http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation ... 8-09/going
Tell me if the link doesn't work!
So, with this in mind, what do you think of a "Space Elevator?"
I think, if it were to work, it won't happen for a decade, science and technology is a rapidly expanding field, though. I'm not sure I completely understand the centripetal force. It's sort of an out there idea, but if it were to work, it would save billions in the future, and possibly we would even learn more about space if it's so easily accessible. I don't know, though.
For those who don't know what centripetal force is, (I didn't, don't be ashamed!) the Wikiepedia is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centripetal_force!
EDIT: John Macneill's reporter can't spell "will" right, he or she typed "sill."
