Updated By: LatestGKGS Desk
Japan's first space elevator, design, works, length, weight, cost, research details
A team of scientists from Japan will send the first space elevator prototype into Earth orbit
The idea of a space elevator which could pull satellites, instruments, and even astronauts into space without the need for a giant flaming engine has always been a science fiction pipe dream, but one day it might actually be possible. A space elevator would offer a continuous ascent from Earth all the way into space.
Now, Researchers from Japan’s Shizuoka University appear determined to bring the concept to reality — they’re ready to conduct the first test of elevator movement in space.
The test will be conducted using a small prototype that will travel between two small satellites. The satellites will be connected via a cable, and the satellites will provide the tension needed to keep the cable straight. The tiny elevator will then move back and forth along the cable, testing the feasibility of elevator movement in space conditions.
The Japanese team plans to test its space elevator design using a scaled-down version of the system — way scaled-down. The elevator in the test is a box only six centimetres (2.4 inches) long and three centimetres (1.1 inches) high and wide (at full scale, the box will be large enough to transport actual supplies to space).
This movement is definitely easier to do in space than it will be between Earth and space. Some experts predict the devices could cut the cost of transporting goods from $22,000 per kilogram to just $220 per kilogram ($100 per pound).
