Researchers have invented an inflatable "space elevator", which will reach a height of 2, meters and go straight into the sky.
Reach the sky in one step
Tote Technology Company of Canada has been awarded the patent of "space elevator".
According to the company's new design, this "space elevator" is called "Tote X Tower", which is composed of some reinforced parts and has a runway at the top for launching the space shuttle or satellite load. Using a complex flywheel combination to offset the bending, the tower will stand vertically.
In the blueprint, the pressurized truck can travel in this building core, just like in the traditional pneumatic system pipeline, or climb from the outside of the tower like a cable car. Each car can carry about 1 tons of heavy goods.
Because the height of the tower reaches the stratosphere, it will be easier to launch a space shuttle or satellite into space from there.
"The astronauts will ascend to an altitude of about 2, meters by elevator," said the inventor Brendan Quinn. "From the top of the tower, the space shuttle will be launched into orbit with only a single rocket, and can also return to the top of the tower to refuel and take off again."
Broad prospects
At present, the effectiveness of launching rockets into space is extremely low, because rockets need to carry a lot of fuel to generate great power to get rid of inertia and atmospheric resistance and take off. Tote Technology Company estimates that after the application of the "space elevator", the space shuttle will not need to carry so much fuel, thus saving about one-third of the cost of space flight.
The designers imagine that this "Tower of Babel" will open up a new world of space tourism by reducing flight costs and making travel more convenient. Moreover, it can also be used for scientific research, communication, wind power generation and other purposes.
"Landing at an altitude of 2, meters will make space flight more like taking a passenger plane," said Carolyn Roberts, president and CEO of Tote Technologies.