From: Eugen Leitl (eugen@leitl.org)
Date: Mon Aug 26 2002 - 20:32:41 MDT
On Mon, 26 Aug 2002, Rafal Smigrodzki wrote:
> Now, this *is* smart - almost all the benefits of the space elevator, and no
> need for miracles, either.
"Compared to the skyhook, which is just barely possible with even the
theoretical best material properties, a tower 100 km high is easy.
Flawless diamond, with a compressive strength of 50 GPa, does not even
need a taper at all for a 100 km tower; a 100-km column of diamond weighs
3.5 billion newtons per square meter, but can support 50 billion. Even
commercially available polycrystalline synthetic diamond with advertised
strengths of 5 GPa would work. Of course in practice columns would be
tapered so as not to waste material; and the base of the tower would be
broadened to account for transverse forces, such as the jet stream. Only
the bottom 15 km (i.e. 15%) of the tower lies in the troposphere and would
have to be built taking weather into account."
A 100 km high and 300 km long self-carrying structure (not a cable) made
from diamond. I shudder to think what you would consider a miracle...
Hey, how about an artifical mountain, 30 km high?
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