Home > News > Is space elevator the next ride to the final frontier?
August 25th, 2007
Is space elevator the next ride to the final frontier?
Abstract:
Nanotechnology's the key
To the extent that a space elevator is feasible at all is due to advances in the science of nanotechnology, especially carbon nanotubes. These are atomic-scale threads with a tensile strength greater than steel but with vastly less weight; when bound together, they become unimaginably strong.
The long spine of the proposed elevator would be 30 inches wide but only as thick as a sheet of paper. Wade Adams, a nanotech researcher at Rice University, said nano engineers have created threads 15 percent as strong as those needed for an elevator, and continue to make steady progress. Existing nanotube threads are already triple the strength of the Kevlar strands used in bulletproof vests.
Source:
postbulletin.com
Bookmark:
| Related News Press |
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters
New molecular technology targets tumors and simultaneously silences two ‘undruggable’ cancer genes August 8th, 2025
Simple algorithm paired with standard imaging tool could predict failure in lithium metal batteries August 8th, 2025
First real-time observation of two-dimensional melting process: Researchers at Mainz University unveil new insights into magnetic vortex structures August 8th, 2025
Lab to industry: InSe wafer-scale breakthrough for future electronics August 8th, 2025
Aerospace/Space
ICFO researchers overcome long-standing bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials August 8th, 2025
Onion-like nanoparticles found in aircraft exhaust May 14th, 2025
The National Space Society Congratulates SpaceX on Starship’s 7th Test Flight: Latest Test of the Megarocket Hoped to Demonstrate a Number of New Technologies and Systems January 17th, 2025
 |
||
 |
||
| The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
 |
||
|
|
||
| Premium Products | ||
 |
||
|
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
|
|
||