The space elevator

What Hacker News says

1. wingsparJun 2018
   Read this space elevator book years ago, it was very interesting. I’m sure it needs an update after 15 years. https://www.amazon.com/Space-Elevator-Earth-Space-Transporta...
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2. ericdFeb 2014
   If we can make one, it seems pretty obvious from the studies I've seen that it will be the major enabling technology for getting into space in a large way. Unfortunately, I don't think we've hit the carbon nanotube lengths that we'd need (on the order of meters).

   Here's a great book that came out of a NASA funded study that breaks the issues down well, including costs, necessary tech, and methods for dealing with potential issues like cable breakage: http://www.amazon.com/Space-Elevator-Earth-Space-Transportat...

   Their conclusion was that it would be much more cost effective than most people think, and that it would enable an incredible reduction in cost to orbit due to not needing to use a pyramid of fuel to carry other fuel for later, or enormous one-time-use precision machinery, and instead using simple containers with electric motors and transmitted electricity.

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