Hi all,   
      
   Sorry for posting through Google but it is the closest I can get to a NTTP   
   server these days.   
      
   I am not an engineer, and I don't pretend to know everything about Space   
   Elevators (or much of anything else) but I do remember the last time the issue   
   was discussed on these and related news groups.   
      
   First point: Carbon fiber or long carbon walled multi-walled nano-tubes are   
   the required materials. Anyone bringing steel to the discussion hasn't read   
   anything about the subject. Or is trying to deliberately appear dense.   
      
   Second Point: the cable is not a simple cable. It is a ribbon made up of   
   thousands of threads, with the maximum amount of high-performing carbon and   
   the minimum (safe) amount of weighty epoxy. The individual threads are woven   
   together not just at right    
   angles to the direction of the ribbon's length, but at 45% and 70% decrease   
   too. It is made to be as strong as it can possibly be.   
      
   Third point: the physics of the cable collapse in Red Mars were hyped up for   
   the Drama. The cable as described is also hideously over engineered (and   
   possibly goes beyond what can be achieved with carbon - if I remember   
   correctly the entire cable is    
   supposed to be a single carbon-diamond molecule shaped in a double helix -   
   good luck manufacturing that in bulk any time soon).   
      
   Point Four: even the serious space elevator fanboys do not expect material   
   science to catch up with their dreams before the second half of the 21st   
   century.    
      
   Point Five: Any advance in material science that makes a space elevator more   
   possible is highly likely to make TSTO and SSTO easier. Easier to the point   
   that the Space elevator might be uneconomical unless we decide to import half   
   the Oort cloud down it.    
      
      
   Anyway, take care, have fun, be happy,   
      
   Regards   
   Frank   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)