Space Elevator Proposal of the Day: Japanese construction firm Obayashi Corp. has announced a project to build an elevator that will carry passengers to a station over 22,000 miles above the Earth by 2050.
The “Space Elevator” would use cables made of super-strong carbon nanotubes and a counterweight positioned nearly 60,000 miles above ground.
The elevator could take 30 people at a time to the station, a trip that would take 7 1/2 days at 125 MPH. Obayashi said the elevator car would probably be propelled by magnetic linear motors.
The station itself would contain laboratories and living quarters, and it would also be connected to solar generators that would transmit power to the ground.
The project doesn’t have an estimated cost yet, and Obayashi says its success will depend on global cooperation to produce the necessary carbon nanotubes.
[slashdot]
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