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Search Calendar
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| Stairway to the Heavens: A Space Elevator |
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| Start Date: | 1/14/2021 | Start Time: | 9:00 AM |
| End Date: | 1/14/2021 | End Time: | 10:50 AM |
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Event Description:
FLEX # 150
The recent successful launch of NASA astronauts aboard an American rocket has sparked a renewed interest in human spaceflight here in the U.S. But using rockets is expensive, dirty, and dangerous. Are there safer and cheaper ways of putting people up there? Yes. One is to use a space tether or space elevator—a large permanent structure tens of thousands of miles long that could routinely shuttle people up and down just like they were inside a skyscraper. As kooky as it seems, this idea has been around for over a century. It has also been a major plot element in many science fiction novels, and a space tether is shown in the dramatic opening scene of Brad Pitt’s recent film "Ad Astra". The physical principles are easy to understand and much of the engineering expertise required to build such a structure does exist. This workshop will examine the basic physics of this weird idea, how we might build such an elevator, what it would cost, and how we could use it. |
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Other Details:
January Flex Days Workshop |
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