Researchers argue that 'it is possible to construct equipment close to a space elevator with existing technologies and materials'
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Launching a spacecraft is a very difficult project with great costs and many failures. Therefore, space elevators (orbital elevators) that carry goods and people by building towers and cables that extend from planets to orbiting satellites are attracting attention as a cheaper and safer means of transporting goods into space . . Astrophysicists who have actually calculated the feasibility of a space elevator argue that 'theoretically, it is possible to make a structure close to a space elevator with existing technology and materials.'
[1908.09339] The Spaceline: a practical space elevator alternative achievable with current technology
https://arxiv.org/abs/1908.09339
Astrophysicists Say One Space Elevator Concept Is Possible With Today's Technology
https://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-say-they-ve-found-space-elevator-alternative-that-could-actually-work
In recent years, with the development of new materials such as carbon nanotubes, the construction of space elevators that extend from the earth to the universe has become a reality, but there are still technical obstacles. However, Zephyr Penoyre , who studies astrophysics at the University of Cambridge , and Emily Sandford , who studies astrophysics at Columbia University , wrote a paper that states that 'a building close to a space elevator can be developed with modern technology.' Released on the public site arXiv .
They advocate the idea of building an 'elevator that extends from the moon to the earth's geostationary orbit ', rather than the 'elevator that extends from the earth to space', which is generally considered as a space elevator. The building is called the “ spaceline ” and they claim it can be technically and economically constructed using the tools and materials developed at the time of writing.
It is believed that the space line claimed by the two people can facilitate the transportation of goods to the moon by fixing one end to the moon and positioning the other end in geostationary orbit. They say that building this building will reduce the fuel needed to transport goods from the earth to the moon by a third.
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The advantage of the space line over the conventional space elevator is that the moon always faces the same surface of the earth and goes around the earth only once in about a month. If the end of the space elevator is fixed to the earth, the structure may be distorted by the centrifugal force of the earth that rotates once a day. On the other hand, the effect of centrifugal force can be suppressed by fixing the space line to the moon with little movement as seen from the earth.
Also, it is emphasized that the space line can be constructed using existing super-strong materials such as XYLON . Furthermore, it seems that long cables can be stably maintained by constructing a base camp that also serves as a counterweight at the Lagrange point where the gravity of the earth and the moon is balanced.
Although this paper shows that the space line can be constructed at the time of writing the article from the viewpoint of cost and practicality, it is only a proof of concept in the calculation, and it is not in a peer-reviewed journal. It is posted. Still, the moon-fixed space line may offer a lower cost means of transporting goods than space elevators.
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