I think that the biggest problem with Space Elevator is that it is too slow. I takes quite a lot of time to climb into geosynchronous orbit. It is better to get into LEO as fast as possible. I think that fast climbing is too demanding for the materials and slow is just too slow in order to get much cargo during one year. It takes week or so for one way trip.
As Daniel pointed out that full scale human capable Space Train is perhaps too demanding for the materials due to vibrations. However, the cargo only Space Train could be sufficient, because it can be build on the mountain top. Humans can be launched into space via traditional means, to avoid extreme accelerations. I think that it is just a matter of engineering to get enough power for Maglev acceleration. We can use superconducting materials, perhaps. Skylon is also rather interesting concept, as it was pointed out that first few machs will consume the most of the rocket fuel. Therefore spared oxygen can be replaced with payload. However I think that this tech also works well on powerpoint presentation, but things are not as simple in real life. I think that I will invest on Space Train! —Jouni On 11 April 2012 06:38, Jed Rothwell <[email protected]> wrote: > 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 > >
