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181 Comments
- c0mputar, on 10/01/2008, -0/+74Only $10-15 billion to make this elevator? Damn, this $700 billion bailout is really messing up my sense of worth.
- taketheleap, on 10/01/2008, -5/+43what is this!? an elevator for ANTS?
- FitteMas, on 10/02/2008, -0/+34So, according to this we could have a space elevator by early 2020s. We are the first generation that have a realistic chance of seeing the earth from orbit without beeing astronauts. What an awesome thought. I really hope i dont get stabbed or shot, or run over by a drunk driver in the near future.
- TheSkunkMonkey, on 10/02/2008, -1/+28... and she's buying... a Stairway to Heaven...
- BXRWXR, on 10/02/2008, -0/+25Could we maybe have an escalator to the stars instead? That way if it breaks down we still have stairs.
/RIP Mitch - honeybrass, on 10/02/2008, -0/+23We can build 70! The earth will look like a giant hair brush.
- inactive, on 10/02/2008, -0/+20it needs to be at least....3 times as big!
- inactive, on 10/02/2008, -0/+19How are they supposed to climb on it if they can't even fit??!!
- blast_flame, on 10/02/2008, -0/+17If we keep worrying about the terrorists then were never going to build anything impressive.
- scubajim, on 10/02/2008, -0/+15Arthur C. Clarke wrote about this in the 1950's in his book Fountains of Paradise.
- Junkey, on 10/01/2008, -1/+15And you thought normal elevator rides were awkward.
- lornefs, on 10/02/2008, -2/+15That doesn't make any sense, the reason to build this is as an alternative to rockets to overcome the earths gravity, not for space travel.
- Specializedone, on 10/02/2008, -0/+11And It'd be worth every single penny spent. Whomever controls the elevator, controls near space.
- sponeil, on 10/02/2008, -1/+12Ever hear of cost overruns? Or the "foot in the door" technique? There's no way this would only cost $10-$15 billion. Although I agree with your sentiment. We could've built 10 of these instead of paying for a pointless war.
- MikeFromAmerica, on 10/02/2008, -0/+11Don't worry, when the terrorists blow it up, we'll find out that the Japanese built a second one in secret. I saw it in a movie. I think it was called Contact.
- BXRWXR, on 10/02/2008, -0/+10Take solace, you weren't the first - by a long shot.
- dragoonUNIT, on 10/02/2008, -0/+10they have space elevators in gundam 00 :D
the fangirl in me is coming out lol - terryhuang, on 10/02/2008, -2/+12how long before some high school english teacher says this is a giant penis and people are building it to compensate?
- VigRoco, on 10/02/2008, -0/+9This could also be used as a skydive elevator.
- thcobbs, on 10/02/2008, -0/+9"So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00. "
Correction... its $425 I even did it twice to be sure.
$85,000,000,000
......200,000,000 person
therefore
$85000/200person = $425/person
That alone makes me thing the rest of your diatribe is a bunch of *****. If you're off on your first assertion by 10^3... something is wrong. Did you work for enron? - krisscofield, on 10/02/2008, -0/+9*points to sign*
"No stairway, denied!" - lornefs, on 10/02/2008, -5/+14The US spends about that in a month to kill people for oil.
- feliks2, on 10/02/2008, -2/+10That's *****, if they can even make this work in 12 years as the article said, I think it would run into the trillions of dollars.
- TrueXtremeIcon, on 10/02/2008, -0/+8All I saw was "The fangirl in me is coming"
- inactive, on 10/02/2008, -0/+7If you want to know about how easily we could make a space elevator, check out the LiftPort Group, which is making one to be completed in 2030. www.liftport.com
- MeatyMcBeef, on 10/02/2008, -1/+8No. The funny was over.
- inactive, on 10/02/2008, -0/+6The Large Hardon Collider was built for ~6 Billions
Remember that the bulk of the elevator will be a cable... It's not 62000 miles of habitable spaces. - drewbe121212, on 10/02/2008, -0/+6He who controls the spice, controls the universe!
... wait.
He who controls the space elevator, controls the universe! - lornefs, on 10/02/2008, -0/+6Psych teacher.
- Specializedone, on 10/02/2008, -1/+7No ... Did you watch the movie? Where's the elevator in that?
- lornefs, on 10/02/2008, -1/+7I agree, let's all take sanctuary and huddle down in our churches and pray that nothing bad happens to us rather than taking a few risks and trying to better humanity.
Are you a LHC black hole worrier? - boerema, on 10/02/2008, -1/+6The theory really isn't that complicated. We are just waiting on material science to catch up. All you do is launch the orbital platform, build the planet-side platform, lower the tether from the orbital platform, and attach the counterweight to the space platform. Now you have a space elevator. Its powered by physics!...and the broken dreams of the innocent.
- krisscofield, on 10/02/2008, -0/+5Wasn't there something like this in one of the Civilization games?
- phosphite, on 10/02/2008, -0/+5Farting and then blaming it on somebody else in this elevator will be priceless.
- lornefs, on 10/02/2008, -3/+8Terrorists are stupid and incompetent and no match for good security.
They just caught the US with their pants down in 9/11.
How many nuclear power plants have been compromised?
Is the space shuttle in danger of terrorists? The LHC?
Let's focus on scientific endeavors and stop pissing off the rest of the world.
Maybe things will change in 09. Gobama! - YoctoYotta, on 10/02/2008, -0/+5Whatever you do, DO NOT ask how many people that would feed and educate for how many years.
- Specializedone, on 10/02/2008, -1/+6Dont worry, reading logic is lacking in the general populace.
- troy1of2, on 10/02/2008, -0/+4I remember first hearing about this on a radio show circa 2000 then a few years later reading about it in a magazine. Here's a relevant link:
http://www.spaceelevator.com/ - inactive, on 10/02/2008, -0/+4As opposed to strapping ourselves to explosives.
- phosphite, on 10/02/2008, -0/+4How else are we supposed to make oil, if not from humans?
- inactive, on 10/02/2008, -1/+5Terrorists...
You know why the USA is losing "big scientific contracts" (like the LHC) these days? Because you guys can't shut up about terrorists attacking everything. - Jektal, on 10/02/2008, -1/+5Which seems like a good argument for it's validity to me.
- zomgwaffles, on 10/02/2008, -0/+4hot
- lornefs, on 10/02/2008, -0/+4What a really terrible post!
I don't disagree, I just think you should explain the statement.
Is it the writing, the content?
Do you not think this is possible? Warranted? - mrfritz, on 10/02/2008, -0/+4yes, completed it in only 28 turns, should be a piece of cake
- camiller, on 10/02/2008, -0/+4Actually it predates halo
I suppose you think halo had the original idea of a ring shaped habitable structure too? - LonesomeFighter, on 10/02/2008, -0/+4@carstan. All the Nazi's currently live in the US, most Southern US, but they exist throughout. And last I checked it was illegal to do that Nazi belief stuff in Germany.
- counterplex, on 10/02/2008, -1/+5Dugg for "could've" instead of "could of". Also I agree with the cost overruns bit. Regardless, this is something we need to build to make space travel cheaper. Only then will we be able to focus on colonizing the moon or Mars.
- jamesmcginnis, on 10/02/2008, -0/+3I'm sure I saw this in Star Trek Voyager a few years ago!
- counterplex, on 10/02/2008, -0/+3Inflation would go through the roof. Your $300k would be worth much less - maybe even $300.
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