How Napoleon Dynamite will help us get to the moon
Category: Science...
Posted Wednesday, September 28, 2005 at 03:18 PM [GMT-6]

Like a deceptively shallow pool of water, Napoleon Dynamite appears to be simply displaying his awesome tetherball skills, while actually providing the more perceptive with a demonstration of how mankind will eventually be able to routinely travel to the moon and beyond. I'm speaking, of course, about space elevators.

The concept of a space elevator has been around for half more than a century. It's progressed from a proposal in 1960 by a Russian scientist to the subject of science fiction, and now forms the current business model for a real live working for-profit corporation with a goal of building one within the next fifteen years.

The working of a space elevator is described on the How Stuff Works website:

To better understand the concept of a space elevator, think of the game tetherball in which a rope is attached at one end to a pole and at the other to a ball. In this analogy, the rope is the carbon nanotubes composite ribbon, the pole is the Earth and the ball is the counterweight. Now, imagine the ball is placed in perpetual spin around the pole, so fast that it keeps the rope taut. This is the general idea of the space elevator. The counterweight spins around the Earth, keeping the cable straight and allowing the robotic lifters to ride up and down the ribbon.

In other words, the space vehicle would be slung outward along the "rope" until it escapes the earth's gravitational pull and is then released like a rock from a slinghot aimed -- accurately, one would hope -- at the moon or even Mars. Setting aside the immense cost of building the thing to begin with, the anticipated cost per pound of launching stuff into space via this method is predicted to be significantly smaller than with our current rocket technology.

The technology already exists to build a space elevator...in theory, anyway. The basic building block is the carbon nanotube. Nanotubes are much more than shipping containers for the new iPods. (That's a little engineering humor, there.) Here's the definition, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Carbon nanotubes are cylindrical carbon molecules with novel properties that make them potentially useful in a wide variety of applications (e.g., nano-electronics, optics, materials applications, etc.). They exhibit extraordinary strength and unique electrical properties, and are efficient conductors of heat.

The diameter of a nanotube is 50,000 times smaller than a human hair, but is incredibly strong...100 times and more stronger than steel. The carbon atoms are connected by bonds which are stronger than those which bond the atoms in a diamond. These properties, along with the relative ease of connecting nanotubes to one another, yield the theoretical possibility of creating almost unbreakable ribbons or ropes or cables of unlimited length...such as the 62,000 mile long ribbon needed to build a functioning space elevator. And, incidentally, this ribbon is also amazingly lightweight; the LiftPort Group estimates it will weigh just 7.5kg/km, and that's for a ribbon built to twice the strength spec actually required for the job.

Incidentally, if you want to help the LiftPort Group get off the ground (ha!), it's accepting donations...via PayPal. Napoleon would be proud.

Tip o'the propeller beanie to the Responsible Nanotechnology blog. And, if you want to learn more about nanotubes, this site is the recommended starting point.

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Comments

Uh, how about the round trip ticket?

Posted by: Cowtown Pattie at September 28, 2005 03:56 PM

I'll take my chances with tetherball. Both as an investment and a means of launching myself towards the moon.

Posted by: Wallace-Midland Texas at September 28, 2005 03:57 PM

Round-trip? Hmm. I'm not sure they thought about that part.

Anyway, I assume that PayPal will take all of your money.

Posted by: Eric at September 28, 2005 03:58 PM

Wallace, I think you're in more danger at Long John Silver's.

Plus, have you ever been hit in the face with a tetherball? Man, it smarts!

Posted by: Eric at September 28, 2005 04:09 PM

Well, what about those unique electrical properties, huh? Ever hear about "lightning"? Gosh! Just put up a permanent 50-mile-high lightning rod, why don't cha?

Posted by: Napoleon Dynamite at September 29, 2005 05:51 AM

A check of LiftPort's FAQ reveals that they have, indeed, considered the potential danger of lightning strikes. Their response is less than reassuring:

We don't know for sure what will happen, so we will test that throughly. If lightning DID hit the ribbon, it would probably break. But don't worry, we have pretty good safety and recovery plans.

This is probably a good time to review Murphy's Law.

Posted by: Eric at September 29, 2005 06:35 AM
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