A space elevator is a proposed type of space transportation system. The main
component would be a cable (Composed of Carbon nanotubes) anchored to the surface and extending into space. The design would permit vehicles to travel along the cable from a planetary surface, such as the Earth’s, directly into space or orbit, without the use of large rockets.
An Earth-based space elevator would consist of a cable with one end attached to the surface near the equator and the other end in space beyond geostationary orbit (35,800 km altitude). The competing forces of gravity, which is stronger at the lower end, and the
outward/upward centrifugal force, which is stronger at the upper end, would result in the
cable being held up, under tension, and stationary over a single position on Earth. With the cable deployed, climbers could repeatedly climb the cable to space by mechanical means, releasing their cargo to orbit. Climbers could also descend…
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