[Faline]

Japanese engineers are drawing up plans to put tourists into space within 40 years using a massive elevator that travels more than 22,000 miles into orbit.
If created, up to 30 passengers at a time would spend a week travelling a quarter of a way to the moon at speeds of 120mph.
At the end they would reach a space station where they could get an astronaut’s view of the Earth with little or no training beforehand.

n elevator, like this one shown in this artist's impression, could be made using carbon fibre that travels from the Earth to a station 22,000 miles into the orbit:


There are also plans that could allow scientists to travel beyond this first station using carbon fibre ribbon that is anchored to our planet from a satellite in space.
The construction, which echoes the vision of British science fiction author Arthur C Clarke, is estimated to cost £6billion.
Satomi Katsuyama, the project’s creator, said: ‘Humans have long adored high towers. But rather than building it from the earth, we will construct it from the space.’
Dr Obayashi is confident her plan will work, although admits that the locations of the construction and who would pay for it are still unknown.
Previous suggestions have included using a platform in the ocean off Ecuador as a station on Earth because this is near the equator and closer to the orbit.
Dr Obayashi is just days away from completing work on Japan’s tallest structure, the Tokyo Sky Tree, which will stand 2,080 feet tall.
The tower will serve as a digital broadcasting antenna as well as a sightseeing attraction that allows uninterrupted views of the Japanese capital and beyond.
‘We were inspired by construction of Sky Tree,’ which will open for business in May, she said. ‘Our experts on construction, climate, wind patterns, design, they say it's possible.’
When Obayashi is not drawing up plans to conquer space it works on a number of projects from building corporate headquarters, bridges and power plants to renovating ancient temples.
Among its portfolio are the Dubai Metro in United Arab Emirates, Universal Studios Osaka, Japan, and Stadium Australia, which was used for the Sydney Olympics.
If realised the space elevators could become another of the outlandish predictions by Clarke, who died in 2008, to become reality.
In 1945, Clarke made perhaps his most famous and accurate prediction.
He wrote an article in Wireless World predicting that, one day, it would be possible to use satellites in fixed 'geostationary' orbits, 23,000 miles above the Earth, as in effect giant radio masts, allowing radio, telephony and television signals to be relayed from any point on the planet to another.
Although this was a dozen years before the first satellite would be launched, Clarke had come up with the idea for worldwide satellite broadcasts.
One short story made him famous.
The Sentinel - a tale of a mysterious alien race which had accelerated human evolution - was noticed by the film director Stanley Kubrick, who met Clarke in Trader Vic's bar in New York to discuss how it could be turned into 'the perfect science fiction movie'.
From the roof of Kubrick's Manhattan apartment, the pair spotted a mysterious object tracking across the sky. The UFO was, they decided, a good omen and they signed the deal. (The UFO turned out to be a secret Pentagon spy satellite). The result was spectacular.
And 2001: A Space Odyssey, released in 1968, has been hailed by its fans as the best science fiction movie ever made.

[Blewvane]

Hmmmmmmm......yeah....i wouldn't put too much faith in it really happening. 30 people trapped inside a small tube for 7 days??? It would have to be able to supply those people with food, water, oxygen, heat, recreation, and accomodation for the trip, plus emergency provisions in case the thing gets stuck half way.

[Dynamo47]

Originally Posted by Blewvane ↗

Hmmmmmmm......yeah....i wouldn't put too much faith in it really happening. 30 people trapped inside a small tube for 7 days??? It would have to be able to supply those people with food, water, oxygen, heat, recreation, and accomodation for the trip, plus emergency provisions in case the thing gets stuck half way.

Not to mention that God forbid someone had gas!

[Dynamo47]

That is a very cool but as it is with most things, only the rich will be able to afford it.

[jacob beghner]

There is a huge problem with anchoring to a satellite, Regardless of the size of it. Physics still exist. It wouldn't hold an orbit. The tether would always. Fall behind. The change in weight. Of mass traveling up and down would cause significant changes in trajectory which would take alot of energy to correct for. Which wouldn't be timely enough constantly creating a back and fourth tug of war that eventually causes it all to either snap, then falling back to earth. Or becoming wrapped around the planet.

[jacob beghner]

Just spend 8 billion on something more sophisticated. Like building one of those ufos. Those things can put you wherever the fuck you wanna go

[UOPMAN]

I'd prefer an escalator!

[dimitrije]

Arthur Clak wrote about that long time ago...

[ices]

hahahhahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Stopped reading @ 6 billion £ cost. Why dont you treble that for just the first mile. 22,000 miles?

Is this off the Onion or another bollocks site?

[kellyhound]

Once read they also want to build a hotel on the moon etc.
great plans but will we ever see that happening during the rest of our lives ?