For those who do not enjoy a long elevator ride, perhaps this form of space tourism does not sound like the joy-ride others may think of it being. A Japanese construction company has set its sights on constructing a 60,000 mile-long cable into space, roughly ¼ of the distance from Earth to our moon. One end of the cable would be fixed in the ground here on Earth, and the other end suspended in space by a counterweight. This is all made possible with the science of carbon nanotubes, which are 20 times stronger than steel.
The elevator would take approximately one week to reach its destination, at a speed of 125mph. It will be powered by magnetic linear motors. The elevator will have the capacity to carry 30 people, and will dock with a terminal station, at 22,400 miles up, that has laboratories and a living area.
Interested in teaching your students more about space science? Check out SSR's Vol 41 DVD, episode Space Science – Everyday Astronauts. If your school would like to receive this free resource, visit http://www.ssrvideo.com/nhcmsp.html.
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