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Space elevator, To infinity and beyond!!! Everyone wants to go to Space, however getting there isn’t cheap. There aren’t many alternatives to traditional rocket engines of getting in to high orbits. Some are proposing High Altitude Space Balloons, Skylon – space plane is another interesting concept under development and we also have VirginGalactic is also doing its bit . SpaceX , BlueOrigin have impressive plans for colonizing space too. However there are some really interesting concepts that take whole new approach in getting us to Low Earth Orbit but also Geostationary Orbit, high above Earth. Space Elevator is one way of doing it. First time proposed by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky way back in 1895. The Space Elevator is a proposed idea of an elevator that would be constructed ideally at the equator. The main component would be a nanotube cable (also called a tether) anchored to the surface and extending into Geostationary Orbit in space. The design would permit elevator to travel along the cable from Earth’s surface directly into ~36000km GEO. Carbon Nanotube material was proposed cause it is only material that can withstand tensile forces necessary for Space Elevator. However problem with the nanotube at least for now, is that there’s no major manufacturer worldwide that can produce the amount of nanotubes required for such project and there’s doubt if Carbon nanotubes are strong enough to withstand the stress. A carbon nanothread being the alternative material which is slightly stronger. Obayashi Corporation has proposed a space elevator to be constructed by 2050. According to Obayashi Corporation, the 96000km long main nanotube cables will be connected to a 400m floating port somewhere on Earth and a large 12500ton counterweight in 96000km geostationary orbit above Earth. Obayashi Corporations hope tensile strength of the nano tube cable will be in the region of 150 Giga Pascal or Gpa, well with in tolerance of nanotube which have tensile strength of around ~950 Gpa. The Obayashi Corporation didn’t comment on how much such project would cost, but considering nanotube manufacturing is at its infancy as there’s little demand, and the whole principle would require several space launches to anchor nanotube cables to an orbital tether. Under Obayashi proposal, the Space Elevator would stretch to 96000km orbit, however a transiting points will be built at altitudes of 3900km, 8900km, 23750km, 36000km, 57000km and finally at 96000km. Each transit point serving the specific purpose, i.e. for trips to Mars 57000km Transit point would be used. A 100 ton elevator will service each transit point taking up to 8 days to reach outer most transit point at 96000km which will be used to explore outer Solar System or eventually for interstellar travel. If all goes well, Obayashi Corporation hopes the very first commercial users of Space Elevator will be hopping on a trip of their lifetime sometimes in 2050s. The construction on first Space Elevator should begin sometimes in 2025 and be completed within 20 years. First commercial use of the Space Elevator could happen as early as 2050. Costs involved in construction something so large and heavy would require significant capital, can be done, SpaceX super heavy boosters can be used to launch the first components of the Space Elevator in to space, each booster being able to lift around 300 tons in to Low Earth Orbit, taking 4-5 launches for initial segment of the Space Elevator, however building a whole thing and getting the right amount of carbon nanotubes or diamond nanothreads might take few more decades as manufacturing processes do not exist in large enough quantity and costs are still way too high. If you liked my video perhaps you might like my channel too, I create videos about Science & Technology, Space, Astronomy, Gameplay, Military technology and Environmental Architecture, Green and Eco news including latest on the photovoltaic, wind, solar and other renewable sources of energy such as Fusion Power. Please Subscribe if you like my videos, or press like. Please comment and if you have any question please ask, if I know the answer I'll try to Answer. You can also follow me on other sites. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mic_of_orion?... you can help me with a monthly donations here. Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76... Twitter: https://twitter.com/mic_orion Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/11216989747... Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/mic.orion Twitch : https://www.twitch.tv/micoforion