I think the best deal would be hold the rails by the use of balloons, which would be anchored between high mountains.
2012/4/11 Jed Rothwell <[email protected]> > I did not know so many methods have been proposed. > > The Skylon reusable space plane seems like the most practical and low-cost > method discussed here. I think a space elevator would ultimately have the > lowest cost per ton, and it is the safest and most elegant solution. But it > calls for materials not yet developed. > > The initial version of the space elevator would be cheaper than you might > think. It would be used to bootstrap larger, heavier versions. If the first > one can be deployed entirely by robot, later versions can be used to send > people. People would be needed for a really big system, capable of handling > thousands of tons of freight per year. Ultimately it would be capable of > handling millions of tons. A hundred years from now the terminals might be > the largest ports in the solar system, although it is a little difficult to > imagine what physical goods people might need to ship around. I suppose > most production will be handled locally with universal replication machines. > > - Jed > > -- Daniel Rocha - RJ [email protected]
