Why humanity has not yet created an orbital elevator

Now the space industry is developing at an incredible pace, and hundreds of tons of payloads are delivered into orbit every year. All delivery work is performed by launch vehicles, but it would seem that a space elevator would be able to significantly reduce the cost of cargo delivery. So for what reason have there been no attempts to build it so far?

Theoretical considerations about the efficiency of the space elevator

According to theoretical calculations, the use of a space elevator will reduce the cost of launching cargo into the orbit of our planets by about 20 times, but we still use rockets and, moreover, we are developing even more powerful launch vehicles.

Back in 1895, the great Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, looking at the Eiffel Tower, imagined how it (the tower) stretches all the way to space.

The scientist's dream was the first theoretical step towards a space elevator. So, according to Tsiolkovsky, such a structure would be capable of delivering not only cargo, but also a person directly to the geostationary orbit. It is at this altitude that satellites are able to synchronize their orbits with the rotation of the Earth.

This orbit begins at an altitude of 35,786 km above sea level. Moreover, when lifting loads to such a significant height, they would acquire such a horizontal speed from the direct rotation of the Earth, which could easily be used to enter the working orbit.

As a result, the space elevator could become the cheapest and fastest way to deliver cargo to low-earth orbit. So, according to the theoretical calculations of some scientists, a functioning space elevator would allow reduce the cost of delivering one kilogram of payload to orbit from $ 20,000 to $ 100 US dollars. And this, for a minute, is a 20-fold decrease.

Space elevator design and unsolvable problems in its creation

The space elevator, in the classical view of theorists, is realized from a cable that connects an anchor on Earth and a counterweight located in a geostationary orbit.

It is along this cable that loads should be raised and lowered. And it is he who is the very cornerstone of the entire structure, which until now no one has managed to create, despite the statements of some enthusiasts that they have succeeded.

In order to make such a rope, very strong and at the same time lightweight materials with special elasticity are needed.

The strength of the cable is necessary in order to withstand the influence of centrifugal force, which increases with distance from the surface of the Earth. And the special lightness will reduce the effect of gravity on the stability of the entire structure.

At the moment, the most suitable material for creating a cable is carbon nanotubes. But it was not possible to create any long cable from such material. But let me remind you that the cable must be extended to the installation located at an altitude of 36,000 km from the Earth's surface.

So until such a material is created that will simultaneously combine strength, elasticity and the ability to form no matter how long products, the space elevator will remain a pipe dream of humanity, and we will continue to launch rockets into space.

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