Our next step
is into Space
The books I have cited on earlier pages have assumed that this world is
all there is. However, I once read somewhere that the amount of
hydrocarbons (oil) floating in the atmosphere round one of the giant
planets was three times the volume of the earth, to give one example of
the resources available in space.
In the light of all the difficulties with resources and the
environment, I believe we need to develop a
cheap way to get into space. We need to do this as a matter of urgency,
not in a few centuries' time, when it may be too late. I think we
should devote the dwindling resources of our planet to this end. If we
can succeed, it will open up a pathway for us all.
A leading contender is the orbital tower, or space elevator. Arthur C
Clarke imagined a space elevator being built in
2030. He wrote, "Of course, the Elevator was just the
beginning. The plans for the future were astonishing; with space
opened up at last, asteroids would be mined for metals, minerals
and even water, and solar power stations the size of Manhattan
would be assembled in orbit. A new industrial revolution was
about to begin, and with the free flow of energy up there in
space the possibilities for the growth of civilisation were
unbounded. But the heavy industries which had done so much harm
in the past, mining and energy production among them, would now
be transferred off the planet. This time the earth would
be preserved for what it was good for: serving as the home of the
most complex ecosystem known." (Clarke and Baxter, p247).
What is a
Space Elevator?
In the 1890s, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
proposed a tower
reaching
from earth into space which could be used as a lift. This is
not as daft as it sounds. In effect, it would be a satelite in
geostationary orbit which is so long that its bottom would reach
the surface of the earth, and its top reach another 22,000 miles
further out towards the moon. The centre of gravity would be in
the middle, at the point of orbit.
Such a structure would require enormous strength, beyond
any
of the materials that we have had until recently. However, it is
now possible to make Carbon_nanotubes,
thin threads of a new arrangement of the carbon molecule which
are very strong. Such threads have been spun together to form a
cord too thin to be visible, but strong enough to lift up a
truck. Provided a long enough length can be created, this
material could be used as the basis for a space elevator. Once it
was in position, the difficulty of reaching orbit would be
enormously reduced. In addition, for a spaceship to reach escape
velocity, it would simply go on up to the top of the upward
extending arm and let go.
Space is a hostile environment. Radiation is a major problem. The
enormous strength needed for the cable seems daunting; carbon nanotubes
might not work. The project would not be easy, but it seems to me we
would be wise to pursue it. It also chimes in with my personal reading
of the Bible, rather surprisingly - see next page. |
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So Now what?
Please spread the word, read up about it, and do
get in touch. To get you started, Clarke's
novel The Fountains of Paradise (1979) is a
fun read and introduces the concept well. Recommended. Read about Bradley
Edwards who wants to build one sooner rather than later, and
see his report.
Browse the and spaceward
and watch the development of carbon nanotubes. Other links : news item .
. . second
version . . . and
again . . . International
Space Elevator Consortium . . . Liftport
Group . . . Rotation
system
. . . and not least spaceelevatorgames.org
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