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Thread: Chinese Announce Superstrong Fiber Potentially Capable Of Making Space Elevator

  1. #1
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    Chinese Announce Superstrong Fiber Potentially Capable Of Making Space Elevator

    Could this be light enough and still strong enough to link a cable to a geostationary satellite 22,000 miles in space, which could then support a cheap transportation elevator to it? I assume this is another iteration of graphene, but equally interesting is the concept of using such a strong material to fashion flywheels to store large amounts of energy which could surpass conventional batteries for vehicles and such.

    https://www.scmp.com/news/china/soci...ants-and-space
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    Who knows, it may come sooner than anyone expects at this time. Normally after the first " breakthrough " advances come with amazing speed.

    One just has to look at the airplane to see that work.

  3. #3
    Wannabe is offline Nov 5, 1946 - Nov 19, 2018
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    The cost manufacturing is prohibitive, but then again most all new technologies are super expensive. I think I was in the 5th or 6th grade when I first heard of a pocket calculator. It would add, subtract, multiply, and divide and would have lucky to fit in Capt. Kangaroo's pocket at a cost of about $100 if I remember right which was a Lot of money back then. Now they have them on promotional ballpoint pens. I think ballpoint pens came out about that time also. The cost would have to get Very low because any way you look at it 22,000 miles is a lot of cable and I'm thinking there would have to be multiple cables.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wannabe View Post
    The cost would have to get Very low because any way you look at it 22,000 miles is a lot of cable and I'm thinking there would have to be multiple cables.
    Somebody like Phillbo would just have to climb it so he could jump off the top in a parachute...And how would you keep some ISIS moron from hijacking an airplane just to run into it......Ben
    The future is forged on the anvil of history...The interpreter of history wields the hammer... - Unknown author...

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    I never thought about the fact it would need to be anchored at the equator.....

    I'd jump it.

    Baumgartner has nothing on me

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    There is something that bothers me about that entire description---that is the use of cubic cm (volume) to define the size----I would expect the units to be square cm (area).
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Grubb View Post
    There is something that bothers me about that entire description---that is the use of cubic cm (volume) to define the size----I would expect the units to be square cm (area).
    But they do equate that volume to weight:
    They say just 1 cubic centimetre of the fibre – made from carbon nanotube – would not break under the weight of 160 elephants, or more than 800 tonnes. And that tiny piece of cable would weigh just 1.6 grams.
    ...which would apply better to volume than area...Still I see your point...They might have made a better article by describing the shape of the material and how it would be attached to the 160 elephants......Ben
    The future is forged on the anvil of history...The interpreter of history wields the hammer... - Unknown author...

  8. #8
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    I think we are a tad away from implementation as the article states they were really proud of achieving producing about a meter of the stuff. Let’s see, 22,000 miles of the fiber would be how many meters now?

    Still liking that flywheel thingie though. Those crafty Chinamen are sneaking up on the outside, guys. Ain’t gonna buy no damned Volvo though.
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    Let’s see, 22,000 miles of the fiber would be how many meters now?
    35,405,570
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
    "Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
    “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis

  10. #10
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    ^^^
    I knew that. I was just checking to see if you did.
    Double that because the plan calls for a giant loop.
    ...............
    “You can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.” — Too fundamental to have an attribution


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