unocoder1
unocoder1 t1_ixye6bj wrote
>This is still a lot of mass, because the cable is expected to be hundreds of tonnes.
Erm... maybe try billions of tonnes.
unocoder1 t1_ixydvfn wrote
>To build it, we need a material whose specific strength is about 50 times higher than steel.
Ah, so it still has the same issues as it had 20 years ago. Ok then.
unocoder1 t1_ixyrn6j wrote
Reply to comment by Gmn8piTmn in Space Elevators Are Less Sci-Fi Than You Think by Sorin61
Yeah, I just don't think that's realistic. If the cable is 100,000 km long and has a cross section of 1 square meter, it would weigh 122 million kg... if it were made of air. It would be almost a thousand times heavier if it was made of... water.
For 100,000 km cable to weigh "hundreds of tonnes", 1000 km should weigh tonnes and 1 km should weigh a few kilograms. I just cannot believe that will ever happen.