Re: wired - What Happens If a Space Elevator Breaks?

On 1/25/2022 6:33 PM, [email protected] wrote:
> On Monday, January 24, 2022 at 9:46:49 AM UTC-5, a425couple wrote:
>> On 1/23/2022 8:57 PM, [email protected] wrote:
>>> On Sunday, January 23, 2022 at 4:14:49 PM UTC-5, a425couple wrote:
>>>> from
>>>> https://www.wired.com/story/what-happens-if-a-space-elevator-breaks/
>>>>
>>>> What Happens If a Space Elevator Breaks
>>>
>>> How do they make sure that no aircraft accidently hit and sever the cable?
>>
>> It is a fixed object.
>> Just like a very tall, thin building.
>> Going up, over the equator.
>> Mark on all maps etc. as a known object/hazard.
>>
>> But, seems like Arthur Clarke did not foresee
>> some of the evil and destructiveness in some
>> individuals.
> 
>  From what I have read, the cable would move considerably, like up to a couple miles at high altitude.
> 
>  From a couple miles away it would be invisible to the human eye.
> 
> Wind, storms, various things could blow aircraft off course. Clouds would hide it.
> 
> CFIT -- aircraft hit things that are massive and can be seen from miles away.
> 
> Sooner or later someone will hit and sever the cable.

I can accept that it is quite possible,
that "sooner or later someone will hit -- the cable".

But it will be have to be extremely strong.
And that is the reason it has not been built yet.
We do not have the materials strong enough
(and at same time "light enough")
to build it.

But meanwhile, and thankfully, people like
Musk making rockets reusable have already
greatly reduced the cost of putting objects
into orbit, and space.

In my opinion, we need to keep making real progress,
while steadily looking for big breakthroughs
in science like a workable space elevator would be.