Company in Canada gets U.S. patent for space elevator

Exploring space while seated on Earth, gazing up on screens in museum theaters or at home via VR headsets. is exciting but the top imagination-grabber is the very idea of finding a way to access space. This is the present-day realm of creative thinking over space elevators, in the use of a giant tower to carry us to space.

Scientists working on space elevators are thinking about materials and designs that can be used to access space as an alternative to rocket technology. A sign of the times is the upcoming Space Elevator Conference 2015 which takes place this month in Seattle.

Imagine, said The Spaceward Foundation, the space elevator, serving as a track on which electric vehicles called "climbers" can travel up and down carrying about 10 tons of payload."There are no intense gravity-loads during the trip, no acoustic vibration, no onboard fuel, nor any of the rest of the drama associated with rocket launches," it added.

Now a Canadian company, Thoth Technology in Ontario, has a patent for a space elevator to access space. It would reach 20km above the planet. Its engineers said the technology could save more than 30 percent of the fuel of a conventional rocket— spacecraft and people could be lifted to a level in the atmosphere requiring less force to launch.

As Global Construction Review News described it, this is a freestanding space tower concept, held rigid by pressurized gas.
In Fast Company, Charlie Sorrel had some thoughts on this: " The patent does say that the elevator could be scaled to reach 200km, but that's a little like saying that your bank balance could be scaled to reach $1 billion—it's technically true, but the execution may prove tricky."(The patent said the tower could be further scaled to provide direct access to altitudes above 200 km and with the gravitation potential of Low Earth Orbit.)

The patent document reads: "The present invention is a self-supporting space elevator tower for the delivery of payloads to at least one platform or pod above the surface of the Earth for the purposes of space launch. The space elevator tower may also be used to deliver equipment, personnel and other objects or people to at least one platform or pod above the surface of the Earth for the purpose of scientific research, communications and tourism."


http://phys.org/news/2015-08-company-...

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Closed Caption:

exploring space while seated on earth
gazing up on screens in museums theaters
or at home by a VR headsets is exciting
but the top imagination forever is the
very idea of finding a way to access
space
this is the present a realm of creative
thinking over space elevators in the use
of a giant tower to carry us to space
scientists working on space elevators
are thinking about materials and designs
that can be used to access space has an
alternative to rocket technology a sign
of the times is the upcoming space
elevator conference 2015 which takes
place this month Indiana Seattle imagine
said the space word foundation the space
elevator
serving as a track on which electric
vehicles called climbers can travel up
and down carrying about 10 tons of
payload
there are no intense gravity loads
during the trip know acoustic vibration
no onboard fuel nor any of the rest of
the drama associated with rocket
launches it added now a canadian company
. technology in Ontario has a patent for
a space elevator to access space it
would reach 20 kilometres above the
planet its engineers said the technology
could save more than thirty percent of
the fuel of a conventional rocket
spacecraft and
people could be lifted to a level in the
atmosphere requiring less force to
launch as global construction review
news described it
this is a free-standing spaced our
concept held rigid by pressurized gas in
Fast Company
Charlie sorrel had some thoughts on this
the patent does say that the elevator
could be scaled to reach 200 kilometres
but that's a little like saying that
your bank balance could be scaled to
reach one dollar billion it's
technically true but the execution may
prove tricky the patent said the tower
could be further scaled to provide
direct access to altitudes above 200
kilometres and with the gravitation
potential of low-earth orbit the patent
document reads the present invention is
a self-supporting space elevator tower
for the delivery of payloads to at least
one platform or pot above the surface of
the earth for the purposes of space
launch the space elevator tower may also
be used to deliver equipment personnel
and other objects or people to at least
one platform or pot above the surface of
the earth for the purpose of scientific
research communications and tourism
yeah
yeah