Getting to Space on a Thread: Space Elevator as Alternative Access to Space

The space elevator is a concept where a tether is used to lift cargo and personnel into space. This tether reaches from the surface of the Earth to a point some 62,000 miles into orbit. Vehicles traveling on this tether will be able to cheaply move heavy loads into orbit. From there, the cargo can be positioned in any desired position, with the major destination being geosynchronous orbit 22,240 miles up. The new technology which makes the space elevator possible is the carbon nano-tube (CNT), a material that is theoretically one hundred or more times stronger and ten times lighter than steel. The USAF, as the DoD Executive Agent for Space, can lead the U.S. in developing and deploying this alternate means of accessing space in support of DoD missions. In doing so, the USAF will be able to better meet its current needs for satellites on orbit along with rapid and extremely economical replenishment. The space elevator allows current missions to expand and new missions to be tackled thanks to its low cost and heavy lift capability and could be built in ten to fifteen years. A thread reaching down all the way from orbit to the surface of the Earth on which laser powered trucks carry huge loads into space for a very low price, this is the space elevator. A space elevator can serve as an alternate