We *may* be 20 years away from nanobots assembling bucky tubes, and there may be other technology (see Clarke ad nauseum plus Niven etc.)
Launch capacity: We only need to get *one* thin line to orbit, then we use that to pull up the second line and build a loop, then we just hook things on one line and pull on the other and everything goes up in a hoist (or just fix the one line and run little climbing robots up the line ... either take them apart at the top for raw material, send them down the line, or put them in a box and throw them back down (yike!)
The "several metres thick" bit totally depends on how strong the cable is ... the mythical "sinclair molecule chain" was strong enough for a single molecule wide wire to self support, we'd want more thickness than that for extra cables (emergency spares) plus maybe an up and down side, plus something for the elevators to grab onto ...
... falling down on Milton Keynes ... well, whereever ... put small charges every 10/100 metres along the cable ... if the cable breaks, hit the *bang* button and deal with lots of smaller pieces instead (maybe!)
plus if the cable breaks nearer the ground than up in orbit (which I think is much more likely ... hit by aircraft, torn by storms etc.) the length that will fall is the bottom section, the top section is still attached to a geosync station (and if they aren't quick and balance the other side, then they are going to start going UP with the cable!)
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branchandroot
A couple of thoughts
Date: 2003-09-13 03:01 (UTC)Launch capacity: We only need to get *one* thin line to orbit, then we use that to pull up the second line and build a loop, then we just hook things on one line and pull on the other and everything goes up in a hoist (or just fix the one line and run little climbing robots up the line ... either take them apart at the top for raw material, send them down the line, or put them in a box and throw them back down (yike!)
The "several metres thick" bit totally depends on how strong the cable is ... the mythical "sinclair molecule chain" was strong enough for a single molecule wide wire to self support, we'd want more thickness than that for extra cables (emergency spares) plus maybe an up and down side, plus something for the elevators to grab onto ...
... falling down on Milton Keynes ... well, whereever ... put small charges every 10/100 metres along the cable ... if the cable breaks, hit the *bang* button and deal with lots of smaller pieces instead (maybe!)
plus if the cable breaks nearer the ground than up in orbit (which I think is much more likely ... hit by aircraft, torn by storms etc.) the length that will fall is the bottom section, the top section is still attached to a geosync station (and if they aren't quick and balance the other side, then they are going to start going UP with the cable!)