In 1895, Russian Scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky introduced the concept of the space elevator. He derived this idea after being inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The idea behind this gigantic design involves the application of a rope stretching from our planet's surface to an orbital station.

The working principle of the space elevator will involve a rope connected to one end of the earth’s surface, while the other end of the rope will be fixed at the orbital station. The rope attached at the orbital station must be relative to the earth's surface and it must reach above the geostationary orbit.

This is because of the centrifugal force. For the space elevator to operate accurately, a hoist is lifted on the rope carrying a payload.

As the lifting begins, the cargo is expected to accelerate at the expense of the earth's rotation. This acceleration will allow enough altitude to send the cargo off the planet's surface.

Many scientists have revealed that space elevator designs will surely lower the amount of money required to launch cargo into space. This will be cheaper than the cost of transporting cargo into space using rockets.

You may be wondering why space companies are yet to build a space elevator? Well, the materials required to design these hypothetical designs and make space elevators a reality are not yet available.

We need materials that are about 100 times more powerful than steel. Despite the powerful strength of the material, it is expected to be much lighter than steel.

According to experts, long and stretchy carbon nanotubes can be used to build space elevators. Basically, a space elevator will require going 22,000 miles from the earth's surface to a station.

It will also require another 40,000 miles to gain enough stability. Therefore, any space agency looking forward to building a space elevator must need 144,000 miles of nanotube for the project.

Scientists still rely on researching the application of carbon nanotubes. However, the technology to manufacture them in large quantities and wave them into the cable is still at the beginning stage.

In 2012, Japan announced that they would build a space elevator in the next four decades. They believed that future technologies could make it much easier for them to create a rope from nanotubes.

If humans successfully land on Mars in this decade, we may build a space elevator in no distant time. We can use existing materials available on mars to design the space elevator.

The less gravity on a planet, the easier it will be to operate the space elevator. Therefore, if we construct the space elevator on mars, it can be used for interplanetary travel.

Some scientists are suggesting that we may build a space elevator from earth to the moon. Do you think that the idea of a space elevator will become a realistic idea in the future?

Written by Charles Nwali
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