Japanese construction company Obayashi wants to build an elevator to
space and transport passengers to a station about a tenth the distance
to the moon.
The elevator would use super-strong carbon nanotubes in its cables and
could be ready as early as 2050, according to Tokyo-based Obayashi.
The cables would stretch some 60,000 miles, about a quarter the distance
to the moon, and would be attached to Earth at a spaceport anchored to
the ocean floor. The other end would dangle a counterweight in space.
The elevator would zip along at 125 mph, possibly powered by magnetic
linear motors, but would take about a week to get to the station. It
would carry up to 30 people.
Up above, the space station would have living quarters and lab
facilities. Solar panels connected to the station would generate
electricity that would be transmitted to the ground.
