What kind of cable does the space elevator need?

A natural choice for constructing a space elevator cable are carbon pipes only nanometers or billionths of a meter wide. Previous research has found that such carbon nanotubes can prove 100 times stronger than steel at one-sixth the weight.

Is spider silk strong enough for a space elevator?

Spider silk has a tensile strength on the order of 1 GPa (it’s a natural fiber and so varies) and that’s only about 4\% of the strength needed to build a minimal earth-based space elevator.

How long is the cable of the space elevator?

35,786 km
Then, progressively heavier cables would be pulled up from the ground along it, repeatedly strengthening it until the elevator reaches the required mass and strength. This is much the same technique used to build suspension bridges. The length of this cable is 35,786 km or 35,786,000 m.

How will carbon be used for a space elevator?

Long, Stretchy Carbon Nanotubes Could Make Space Elevators Possible. Due to the competing forces of the Earth’s gravity and outward centrifugal pull, the elevator station would remain at that distance like a satellite. Then the cable would extend another 40,000 miles into space to a weighted structure for stability.

Could you run a cable into space?

Cable section The greatest tension on a space elevator cable is at the point of geostationary orbit, 35,786 km (22,236 mi) above the Earth’s equator. This means that the cable material, combined with its design, must be strong enough to hold up its own weight from the surface up to 35,786 km (22,236 mi).

How carbon nanotubes can be used to make a space elevator?

Can carbon nanotubes be used for space elevator?

Long, Stretchy Carbon Nanotubes Could Make Space Elevators Possible. A space elevator would extend 22,000 miles above the Earth to a station, and then another 40,000 miles to a weighted structure for stability. An elevator car would be attached to the nanotube cable and powered into space along the track.

How strong are carbon nanotubes?

One property of nanotubes is that they’re really, really strong. Tensile strength is a measure of the amount of force an object can withstand without tearing apart. The tensile strength of carbon nanotubes is approximately 100 times greater than that of steel of the same diameter.