What Is A Space Elevator?
A space elevator is envisioned as a mechanism using a cable attached to the Earth’s equator that connects the planet to other locations such as the Earth’s moon.
Sounds like a crazy idea from someone like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, but is it though? Space elevators may be coming sooner than we anticipate.
In October of 2019, Japanese researchers began testing in space a model for space elevators. The test involves a box or “climber” (the apparatus that would transport people) moving between endpoints on a cable about 30 feet long.
The two main obstacles that remain are the strength of the materials used to withstand the space travel and the issue of avoiding collisions with space particles, debris, and objects like asteroids. The NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program Office continues to conduct extensive research and work on the potential deployment of space elevators.
