Rockman X8's Jakob Project doesn't sound so far fetched anymore. Japanese scientists are currently hard at creating a real life "orbital elevator:"
"Now the finest scientific minds of Japan are devoting themselves to cracking the greatest sci-fi vision of all: the space elevator. Man has so far conquered space by painfully and inefficiently blasting himself out of the atmosphere but the 21st century should bring a more leisurely ride to the final frontier.
For chemists, physicists, material scientists, astronauts and dreamers across the globe, the space elevator represents the most tantalising of concepts: cables stronger and lighter than any fibre yet woven, tethered to the ground and disappearing beyond the atmosphere to a satellite docking station in geosynchronous orbit above Earth.
Up and down the 22,000 mile-long (36,000km) cables — or flat ribbons — will run the elevator carriages, themselves requiring huge breakthroughs in engineering to which the biggest Japanese companies and universities have turned their collective attention.
In the carriages, the scientists behind the idea told The Times, could be any number of cargoes. A space elevator could carry people, huge solar-powered generators or even casks of radioactive waste. The point is that breaking free of Earth’s gravity will no longer require so much energy — perhaps 100 times less than launching the space shuttle. "
That's pretty freaking awesome. Can Japan do it?
Read the rest of the article here.
I think it's crazy. It is not good idea.
ReplyDeleteI'll only be impressed if at the top of said elevator there'll be a Boba Fett-look alike robot waiting for us. xP
ReplyDeleteWell, the idea sure is nice, but i still say its only good for Sci-Fi. This thing would have to be extremely resistant to both heat and cold with the atmosphere. Not to mention it's base would have to be very stable... well, the list goes on and on with worst case scenarios. I still think its too Sci-Fi to actually exist.
ReplyDeleteI sure hope so! This sounds awesome!
ReplyDeleteDAG YO! The earth's CIRCUMFERENCE is 24900 miles!! :O
ReplyDeleteAs long as it doesn't fall and wrap around the planet? I'm cool. Guess it wouldn't be long enough to do THAT, but still...
ReplyDeleteImpossible without some sort of scifi anti-gravity-wind-weather-everything device. :P That's ridiculous to even think of. :P
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, there was an... Axess episode? Maybe it was Stream... I think it was Stream 40. Anyway, there was an EXE episode about a space elevator. :)
If they manage to do it I'll dress up as Rockman and personally ride the dang thing all the way to the top, all while telling everyone in the elevator that I'm going after Sigma who's waiting for me up at the moon and see how many stares I would get.
ReplyDeleteHey, if something like this actually gets made and is a success, my idea wouldn't be so strange anymore.