Posted on 04/26/2005 10:44:57 AM PDT by KevinDavis
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 25, 2005--LiftPort Group, the space elevator companies, today announced plans for a carbon nanotube manufacturing plant, the company's first formal facility for production of the material on a commercial scale. Called LiftPort Nanotech, the new facility will also serve as the regional headquarters for the company, and represents the fruition of the company's three years of research and development efforts into carbon nanotubes, including partnering work with a variety of leading research institutions in the business and academic communities.
Set to open in June of this year, LiftPort Nanotech will be located in Millville, New Jersey, a community with a history in glass and plastics production. Both the City of Millville and the Cumberland County Empowerment Zone are partnering to provide $100,000 in initial seed money for the new facility.
(Excerpt) Read more at home.businesswire.com ...
"Give us more money and stay out"
"We're scientists, back off"
suh weet
I hope they make it.
Same here..
This is one of those projects that staggers the mind. It would be an engineering feat that trivializes everything else. Chalk up another great idea to Arthur C. Clark. He was close, in his book, he wrote about using some kind of "linear diamond". Carbon nano-tubes are close!
Sillicon Valley have lead to the spark of Information Technology. Years later, this might lead to the spark of nano technology, with a new center called the Carbon Valley.
Wow! I thought these guys were just a think tank, looks like they have a plan. Build it and they will ascend. ;)
Likely to end up involving senate hearings demanding answers as to what happened to seven trillion dollars of technology funding, only after the culprits have IPO'd thru Wallstreet every last dime they can squeeze and pour out of the country to Antigua. There won't even be a balance left in the Pitney Bowes postage meters when the nanotubes come down where they may.
Fountains of Paradise. Robert Forward also wrote a beanstalk story, as did Imbuglia (I think? Wrote for Daw).
Pournelle has written mundane articles about space elevators, too, I think.
Do you think this concept is being placed on an ocean platform because of the limited choice of equatorial land locations? The lease would be cheaper too, I guess.
Oops, Robert Sheffield, not Robert Forward.
1. They should rename it the "space railroad". People hate and/or are afraid of elevators. Railroads, on the other hand, bring to mind the Wild West, sleeper cars, and the golden age of travel.
2. Since these nanotubes are strong enough (in tension) to support their own weight plus a substantial load at distances beyond geosych, they should be more than strong enough to support their weight plus load over lesser distances... say, the width of an ocean. With this stuff, we could theoretically build suspension bridges between continents. Imagine the cost savings of being able to ship freight by rail between Yokohama and Los Angeles via Hawaii... or being able to drive from Key West to your winter home in the Yucatan. I propose that the first test bridge run from Florida to Cuba -- after Castro is gone, of course.
3. I can't wait for these guys to make their IPO.
"Do you think this concept is being placed on an ocean platform because of the limited choice of equatorial land locations? The lease would be cheaper too, I guess."
Try to think of one equitorial land location where you'd be assured that security could be maintained. I tried and couldn't do it. The equator runs through some of the worst hellholes on earth.Having its achor platform in the Pacific on what would be analagous to a semi-submersible drilling rig would provide for an excellent security perimeter as well as having the ability to move it if you needed to.
There's an excellent website on this topic that has a very informative primer,FAQs and a 2 min. video that's excellent.
http://www.elevator2010.org/site/index.html
Imagine being the guy tasked with calculating the dynamics of moving a ribbon 30,000 miles long!
Here's where Coriolus math comes in handy.
"Imagine being the guy tasked with calculating the dynamics of moving a ribbon 30,000 miles long"
It will be 62,000 miles long--1/4 of the way to the moon!Moving the base shouldn't be a problem though since the rotation of the planet should keep it taught.
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