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mk · 3894 days ago · link · · parent · post: International Academy of Aeronautics Study Suggests a Space Elevator Could Be Built By 2035
IMHO, this and the difficulties in obtaining a counterweight makes 2035 seem optimistic even if the enormous political and economic hurdles can be overcome.This report lays out a number of technological impediments to a space elevator, but by far the most important is the tether itself; materials science has still to invent a substance that could provide the strength, flexibility, and density needed for a space elevator.