The space elevators are designed to fulfill certain expectations of the governing bodies. Space elevators will make it easier to send payloads through the space as if they are shipping goods via a freight train. When compared to a freight train, they would take the help of laser beams to move upwards and cover a much longer distance against the gravitational pull.

Will it be possible to build a road to sky?

A few positive answers to this question can be expected as a majority of elevator enthusiasts are known to attend the space conferences these days. In the year 1979, Arthur C. Clarke (an advocate to this concept), had expressed his views regarding the launch of the first space elevator within a period of fifty years.

The following years saw a number of talks getting under way and there was nothing left to be laughed about. The conferences had certainly moved in a single direction to push things in favor of the first space elevator launch. The talks involved serious explanations concerning risks like threats from laser beams and orbital debris. A key role was played by the Microsoft-NBC Universal joint venture.

Let’s consider a few of the notable predictions: Bradley Edwards, president of the Black Line Ascension based in New York had pointed out that it might actually take a much lesser timeline than 50 years for building this space elevator. At the same time, he had pointed our expenses that demanded a budget worth $10 to $7 billion. Bradley has been leading the space elevation movement from the front.

The technological way ahead

The power-beaming systems and materials that are ultra-lightweight and super strong are two of the major technologies used in this concept. A space elevator that can actually send payloads upwards may require synthetic ribbons or tethers that can be stretched over the Earth’s surface for a height of 100,000 kilometers or 62,000 miles. This job can be performed well by using Carbon nano-tube fibers.

A traditional launch vehicle is supposed to carry the tethers into the orbit. The orbiting craft will then need to drop a group of tethers that are to be attached with a connection point on the surface of the Earth. For instance, a platform at a distant point in the ocean that floats but remains unaffected by the varying weather conditions.

A few tethers that are meant for counterbalancing should be stretched towards the outer space. These tethers should act as “tracks” for the robots to move up and down the orbital platform.

Will the space elevator be able to rise in the end?

Nothing can be  said about the success of the space elevator even after we see the fruits of these latest technologies on Earth. The regular sessions held on this topic raise numerous questions from the speakers. The way our atmospheric winds buffet is yet to be endured by the strength of nano-tube tethers. Space radiation and a few other elements are yet to test the strength of these tethers. We might also need to cope with terrorist targets of space elevation systems on heavenly stations. These systems have to be protected from all types of Earthly threats and risks; the costs might turn out to be more than the budget proposed for acquiring these systems.

Does the safety margin concerning space elevation operations seem acceptable? The financial burden that has to be dealt in our attempt to ensure adequate space elevation safety may seem unbearable. Ensuring similar safety standards for other industries may seem viable at a much lesser expense. In the end, we’ll need to design space elevator systems that can withstand orbital collision and pressure from debris.