What Will Japan’s 22,370-Mile-High Space Elevator Look Like?
by Kelly Chan
(Feb. 23, 2012) - Yesterday we learned that the Japanese have a proverbial ace up their sleeve in the planet-wide race for the tallest megastructure: plans for a 22,370-mile high space elevator made of a material 20 times stronger than steel, to be complete by 2050. What, pray tell, might this look like? These far-out renderings from Obayashi Corp. can give you an idea. Is that a capsule hotel up there?
(Feb. 22, 2012) - According to The Yomiuri Shimbun, this science fiction fantasy will be constructed using cables made from carbon nanotubes, a material 20 times stronger that steel. The elevator will rise a jaw-dropping 22,370-mile high, which is approximately a quarter of the distance between Earth and the moon, and the full length of the journey is estimated to be just over one week. At the terrestrial end will be a grounded spaceport, while the top of the structure will be fitted with a counterweight. The elevator car, which can carry up to 30 people, will be propelled by magnetic linear motors. Just over a third of the way up, elevator riders will arrive at a terminal station housing laboratories and living space.
(via: Archetizer)
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