Space elevators: The next big thing in off-planet travel

 

"The Space Elevator will be built about fifty years after everyone stops laughing," science fictionist Arthur C. Clarke said in 1981—but it looks like one Japanese company has taken him seriously, and much sooner than expected.

 

Construction giant Obayashi announced that they aim to build a functioning space elevator by the year 2050, according to ABC News Australia. The elevator will extend 96,000 km into space, and robotic cars will carry cargo using magnetic linear motors.

 

The space elevator project is possible due to advancements in the field of carbon nanotechnology.

 

"The tensile strength is almost a hundred times stronger than steel cable so it's possible," said Yoji Ishikawa, a research and development manager at Obayashi.

 

Currently, Japanese unversities participate in a yearly competition to further research in the area.

 

Experts agree that the space elevator could mean the end for rocket usage, and might even be able to help solve international power problems by delivering solar power.

 

In 1895, Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky came up with the idea of the space elevator after being inspired by the Eiffel Tower. However, the idea he came up with involved a compression structure which proved problematic. At that time, there was no material with the required compressive strength for such a project.

 

In 1979, the idea of the space elevator was popularized by the publication of "The Fountains of Paradise" by Clarke and "The Web Between the Worlds" by Charles Sheffield.

 

With the fantasy of a space elevator slowly becoming a possible reality, Ishikawa said, "I don't think one company can make it, we'll need an international organisation to make this big project." — TJD, GMA News