Space elevator

It may be possible to travel to space in an elevator as early as 2050, a major construction company has announced.

Obayashi Corp., headquartered in Tokyo, on Monday unveiled a project to build a gigantic elevator that would transport passengers to a station 36,000 kilometers above the Earth.

For the envisaged project, the company would utilize carbon nanotubes, which are 20 times stronger than steel, to produce cables for the space elevator.

The idea of space elevators has been described in several science-fiction novels. Obayashi, however, believes it is possible to construct one in the real world thanks to carbon nanotubes, which were invented in the 1990s, the company said.

Some other organizations have also been studying the development of space elevators, such as the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

In Obayashi's project, a cable would be stretched up to 96,000 kilometers, or about one-fourth of the distance between the Earth and the moon. One end of the cable would be anchored at a spaceport on the ground, while the other would be fitted with a counterweight.

The terminal station would house laboratories and living space. The car could carry up to 30 people to the station at 200 kilometers per hour, which would mean a 7-1/2 day trip to reach the station. Magnetic linear motors are one possible means of propulsion for the car, according to Obayashi.

Solar power generation facilities would also be set up around the terminal station to transmit power to the ground, the company added.

Whether carbon nanotubes can be mass-produced economically enough and whether various organizations from around the world can work together are two key issues facing the development of the space elevator, according to the company.

"At this moment, we cannot estimate the cost for the project," an Obayashi official said. "However, we'll try to make steady progress so that it won't end just up as simply a dream."



© The Yomiuri Shimbun.

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February 22, 2012
Obayashi plans to construct 'space elevator' in 2050

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A space trip using an elevator may come true in 2050, as Japanese general contractor Obayashi Corp. is planning to construct a "space elevator" stretching 96,000 kilometers above the ground.

While the concept of such an elevator has been described in science fiction novels, the construction has become possible after the 1991 discovery of carbon nanotube, a lightweight material more than 20 times stronger than steel, the company said.

Under the plan, the company will build an orbital station at an altitude of 36,000 km, a final destination for space travelers and housing experimental and development facilities utilizing the space environment.

A six-car elevator, expected to travel at a speed of 200 km per hour, will be capable of loading 30 people and will take about 7.5 days to arrive at the orbital station.

According to the company, construction work will start around 2025. A rocket will be launched to transport two reeled cables using carbon nanotube and other materials to an altitude of about 300 km, where a space ship will be assembled.

The space ship will unreel the cables toward the earth, while continue soaring to the summit of 96,000 km, which is about one-fourth the distance from the Earth to the moon, Obayashi said.

Then the cables will be reinforced from the ground using elevator cars, which will ascend to the summit. The reinforcement work will be conducted 510 times, the company said.

The elevator will be powered partly by electricity generated by solar power from space, the company said.

The company at present cannot calculate how much money would be needed to construct the space elevator and there would be some hurdles such as where to build it, said Satomi Katsuyama, leader of the company's space elevator project.

"But we'd like to realize the project, as it will greatly save on costs for space development in the future," she said.


Copyright © 2012 Kyodo News Agency. All rights reserved. 

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International Business Times 

Space Elevator That Soars 60,000 Miles into Space May Become Reality by 2050
By Surojit Chatterjee | Feb 21, 2012 12:01 PM EDT

Obayashi Corporation, one of the major Japanese construction companies, has a grandiose dream - it plans to build a 'space elevator,' by the year 2050, which will transport passengers almost 60,000 miles high into space, Japanese newspaper Yomiuri has reported.

A 'Space Elevator,' till now read in science fiction novels, is set to become a realty. As early as 1979, sci-fi writer Arthur C. Clarke mentioned about construction of a space elevator in his novel 'The Fountains of Paradise.' The elevator was supposed to link Earth with a satellite in geostationary orbit. But, it remained a dream because of technology's limitation.

The new millienium, however, has brought the dream of 'space elevator' into the realms of reality. At the 2nd Annual International conference, year 2003, on Space Elevator, Dr. Brad Edwards, president and founder of Carbon Designs Inc, showed the blueprint of a proposed space elevator, which has been backed by NASA.

But it's not just NASA. Even non-government organizations have been working on developing the technology of space elevator.

Once the space elevator becomes a reality, price of space travel is expected to become cheaper as people will no longer be confined to travelling by a space shuttle only.

According to Obayashi, a 30-seaters space elevator will be made of carbon nanotube, a material which is lightweight but 20 times stronger than steel. The whole length of the elevator cable is expected to be 96,000 kilometers (59,651.64 miles). At a speed of 200 kilometers (124,27 miles) per hour, passenger will be able to reach the terminal satellite which is 36,000 kilometers (22,369.37 miles) up high after a 7.5 days trip.

Obayashi claims the week-long trip might not be boring as it plans to play elevator music. Unfortunately, further details have not been disclosed.

© Copyright 2012 The International Business Times Inc. All Rights Reserved

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