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Week 6 [18.11 - 24.11.2019] Space Elevator


I have to admit that I’m a big fan of hard science fiction and strange, unreal ideas that are presented in this genre of books. Some of these ideas spark my imagination, but they also seem unreal and I’m sure that they’ll never be put into practice. Of course, some of them will be possible to build one day.
During my lecture I came across the idea of an amazing vehicle, which can change the way we explore space. How excited I was, when it turned out that this idea is being considered by serious scientists.




  1. Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
  2. What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
  3. Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?



Comments

1. If humanity survives long enough, I believe it is possible, but it will take very long time do develop and build. Right now we are struggling with getting supplies to ISS so building space elevator will be a huge challenge.

2. I'am ok with that, in this case this is a long term investition that would allow us to spend much less in future space travels. Right now we are very depending on rocket fuel and even reusable rockets is something new and just being tested. Lowering costs of getting our rockets to space would hugely improve development.

3. Yes I do, it's one of my favorite genres. Personally i love the 40k Warhammer series depicting a not too colorful future in which humanity, despite the creation of a huge empire, is riddled with violence and is constantly fighting for survival.
Kacper Gąsior said…
Thank you for your comment. I agree with you - long term investments in the space industry are worth it. Sometimes things that seem to have no economical sense, but develop science, will give us amazing possibilities in the future.
I have never read anything from Warhammer series, but some people told me about it so maybe I will give it a try.
s15487 said…
Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
It might be possible, at least there is some per mille of probability. Actually, when we move a few centuries back, who would suspect that people are able to place optical fiber at the bottom of the ocean or put a step on a Moon?

What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
I am not a big follower of it, especially if all of the money comes from the public treasury. There are many other more urgent needs and fields to develop.

Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favorite books?
I like science fiction but I wouldn't call myself a fan of it. I have bought some books of Stanisław Lem some years ago, but I didn't have enough time and motivation to read it. Some time ago, I watched 'The Martian' and after that I read the book as well and I think that it was really interesting and realistic one. To be honest, I can't remember if I read any other sci-fi books, I rather prefer to read nonfiction books like IT, finance, economy and when it comes to entertainment I rather like to watch movies.
I believe that the space elevator has no right to exist due to the appropriate forces in nature and physics. Many such myths are refuted on the youtube platform, e.g. on the Polish SciFun channel. I don't know where investors have so much money if they believe in such impossible things, but it's not my business how they earned and what they spend the money on.

I like science fiction because it's a completely different and impossible world that is more interesting than the reality we know. I don't have a favorite book :(
August Micota said…
Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
Of course it will be possible, I even think that's already possible but no one wants to finance this kind of project.

What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
I think that if it had a reasonable explanation than why not? I can actually even right now think about one of the reasons why we should this kind of elevator. For example if this could end with a platform big enough to fit a spaceship, that would be located in space, than we wouldn't need as much fuel to launch the spaceship as gravity would be so much lower in space than on earth. That's pure saving of money and environment.

Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?
I've never spent too much time on it, i prefer different types of books, but i've played Mass Effect few years ago and i loved it!
Interesting presentation. Answering your questions:

1. I've seen a lot of space elevator projects. Even in the movie Ad Astra, at the very beginning of the film you can see the space elevator. I think it will be possible, but not soon. If people can build tall buildings, they will certainly be able to build a space elevator. It's just a matter of time.

2. It seems to me that it is worth increase the development of civilization and space technology, so I am most in favor of investing in such technologies and projects.

3. I like science fiction genre, but from time to time. And I only play games, I don't read books.
Kacper Gąsior said…
Thank you for your comment. I share your point of view and I'm happy that someone can find justification for this project even right now (not in the distant future). I also loved Mass Effect, maybe except from Andromeda.
Kacper Gąsior said…
Thank you for your comment. I understand your point of view, but this certain project is being treaten serious by scientists. What's more, it can be an interesting accelerator for projects from e.g. material industry. Developing lighter, more durable materials may be useful in other fields.
Kacper Gąsior said…
Thank you for your comment. I understand that - it's hard to follow everything and read books from all genres. I really like Martian too (both movie and book). I can also recommend Lem's books as they are masterpieces, not only among other Polish science fiction books, but even on worldwide market.
Karol Michalak said…
1. Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
Not sure, I hope so as it sounds great and it gives many possibilities to explore space some more.

2. What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
This project main goal is to explore the space and push our limities up high. If I would have to make a decision I would prefer this over any socialistic, war and frauds expenses.

3. Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?
Yes I really like it, as for the books I really like those by Drew Karpyshyn, mostly the Star Wars ones.
Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
First of all thank you for this video, I've never thought about this. If we could do this it would be incredibly difficult. I don't have any knowledge about this topic so it's hard to say. But after I watched this i'd rather believe that is possible. Yes, i do. I like Terry Prachett's series of Discworld novels.
1. Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
Very interesting concept, I meet with it for the first time. I think that sooner or later a space elevator would be possible. Of course, this would involve many problems that were raised in the film. I don't know exactly how all the parts of this elevator would be affected by the laws of nature, the laws of physics, etc., I'm not very good at it. However, I must say that the distance at which the counterweight should be located, that is 36000 kilometers from the earth's surface sounds unrealistic and it's hard for me to believe that we would be able to acquire so much material with the right structure and properties to be used as tether.

2. What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
I think that spending huge amounts of money on this type of projects isn't a waste, cause then after all we are contributing to the development of civilization and expanding our possibilities. I think that many projects that would have a similar cost to the space elevator project could easily give way to exploring space and broadening horizons. However, I would like to point out that we should be interested in investing in such projects when we are 100% sure of their success.

3. Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?
Yes, my favorite genres are fantasy and science fiction - in that order. Honestly, I don't know if I have any favorite titles on this topic, the only thing that comes to my mind is the work of Dmitry Glukhovsky. I used to like to read books from the Metro 2033 universe, I also got acquainted with games of the same title, but it was long ago and I didn't have time to catch up. I would love though. I know that the creativity and fanbase associated with this universe is already huge, so when I have a little more free time, I am calm about its proper management.
Jakub Kisiała said…
1. I think even if it will be possible it will be still foolish and expensive.
2. I think no one will do that because It will be easier and heaper to try another option to get to the stars.
3. I rather like Star Wars then sci-fi at all.
S20108
1. I think that this is a great idea and it will be realized one day. I regret very much that man does not conquer space. I would like to remind you that the moon landing took place 50 years ago. Since then, we have not heard of such spectacular events.
Back to the topic, I hope that someday I will be able to travel by such an elevator - flying into space is one of my dreams.

2. I think we should invest money in science and technology development. We should not treat money as an achievement, but as a tool to achieve goals. You can easily deduce from the video, thanks to space elevator, it will be possible to save a huge amount of money on fuel and rockets. Just because we invest money does not mean that we waste it. Inventions make our world better. What's more, thanks to inventions our generation will be remembered by the next generations as a generation of pioneers.

3. I am very interested in science fiction. In my childhood I read a lot of books written by Jules Verne. My favourite is 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'. I think it is amazing that some of the things that are presented in books seem impossible to create.
Alex said…
1. Everything is possible someday. In my opinion humankind should focus on resolving ore pressing issues here on Earth and then conquer the Space.

2. I guess is ok as long everything is prioritized properly. And today, at least, doesn't seem like it.

3. I don't dislike sci-fi genre but I don't like it either. I read only one sci-fi book and it was Asimov.
Kuba Berliński said…


1. I tend to think almost everything is possible. Maybe not today, but in the future technology would allow us to do something taht today seems like a dream.

2. I think it is fine if this is supposed to gring humanity something good. I definitely wouldn't call it a waste, since every step of human progression requires both effort and money, in various amounts.

3. I used to enjoy it a lot when I was a bit younger. Nowadays it is no longer that attractive to me, however, once in a while a sci-fi game or film is quite fine. I've not read many books of this genre, but mainly they were written by Orson Scott Card.
Kacper Gąsior said…
Thank you for your comment. I really like Star Wars books too. I have tried Thrawn trilogy and books about Darth Bane, but never anything by Drew Karpyshyn. Can you recommend something to begin with?
Kacper Gąsior said…
Thank you for your comment. I didn't know that this idea was used in a movie. Thanks for this information, I need to check out this film. I also think that it is possible, we just need some time before other technologies will reach the needed standard.
Kacper Gąsior said…
Thank you for your comment. Yes, there are many ideas around and we are not aware of even a small percentage of them.
I also like Discworld, especially this specific, sometimes satirical sense of humor.
1. Nothing is impossible. Only imagination is our limit. I think some day it would be possible. Maybe not elevator, but some kind of teleport or fast travel to the space.
2. I think it's worth to invest such money on these projects. Space is our future, we don't know what's there and what secrets we can discover there.
3. I'm not a big fan of science fiction genre and I don't have favourite book from this genre, but I played few games like Mass Effect or recently SOMA. As a not sci-fi fan I had a lot of fun with these titles, expecially with the second one
1. Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?

Looking at how much our civilization has developed, I think everything is possible. The question is when.

2. What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?

As a civilisation, we must invest in new technologies. Until we try, we will not know which direction of research is the best to take.

3. Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?

I like the sci-fi genre very much. I don't have my favorite book, but the greatest pleasure I get from watching movies that take place in space like Star Wars.
Maciej Sadoś said…
I think it's possible to build that kind of elevator one day, it just require some time to develop such technologies that we don't know yet (or maybe we do).
I'm definitelly for building such projects and put money into development of our technologies as it pushes our civilisation forward. We shouldn't and wouldn't stay in one place and we should always develop and reach for the new and better.
I do like sf genre, it probably my favorite one. Recently I even watched a movie where an elevator like the one you are talking about was presented. As for sf books I really liked Metro series or Futu.re by Dmitry Glukhovsky or The Martian by Andy Weir.
1. Space elevator is considered one of the doable and possible space projects. “When” is the question.
2. I think it needs to be done, as is will be another “giant leap for humanity”. And, if it was built, it would pay off rather quickly.
3. Paradoxically, I don’t like sci-fi genre – I’m total fantasy fan - but the real space nevertheless interests me. But, speaking of science fiction, I have read some Harry Harrison’s novels like “Deathworld” or “The Stainless Steel Rat” which were fun.
Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
I thinks it will be possible some day, because scientist are very creative and it would be a great accomplishment for humanity. It would also make space exploration easier. Although it’s hard for me to image it, since the distance between Earth and space is significant and the speed of the elevator is limited. Nowadays it would just take a lot of time

What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
Depends on whose money it is. If it’s a private investor or a company, then it’s their choice. But if it’s public money or taxpayers money I wouldn't be so keen on this idea. It would be a better solution to spend it on education, public health, or to help reduce poverty and other everyday struggles.

Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?
I do like science fiction genre. It’s interesting to see what human mind can think of. Although I don’t like it when they only talk about the doom of the humanity and how it will all end badly for us. I don’t have favourites books or sci-fi movies.
Mykyta Smirnov said…
Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
Anything can be possible in future, we do not know. Technologies always go forward.

What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
Science is always worth it. It improves not only our life but life of our descendants. And if we haven't spent spend money on science, would we have had computers, internet, cars, planes and so on?

Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?
I like films and games, but I haven't read any books in this genre.
1. I think it would be difficult because: prepare a construction plan, materials, human resources.
It is possible to create such an elevator, but not in one day

2. I think this is a good idea, they contribute to the development of the world (I think so)

3. I love fiction wall so much. My favorite book of this readiness was ender play. I also love star wars and starters
s18716 said…
Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
I think no. It seems that people will not even try to do it. Such a huge amount of money is required by this project. We have enough people and corporations on the planet who can afford to launch such a project at their own expense. But another question arises here. Why do they need it? And in general, the reality of the construction of such an object. This is certainly optimistic and romantic, but today there are no such materials and opportunities. A lot of related problems will arise in such a project.

What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
I think that this is not worth doing now. Now there are real projects for which there is not enough money. That is, there are global problems and there are ways to solve them. While such things remain unresolved, I think it makes no sense to spend money on translating science fiction into reality.

Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?
I'm not a fan of the science fiction genre, but I find some things interesting in them. Never been fascinated by fantastic ideas and their implementation. Maybe in hundreds of years, it would be nice. In the meantime, many of the things in this series will remain only on paper. This is a good basis for dreams of exploring deep space.
I dont think that it will be possible during our lifetime. The materials needed to create such complex instalation probably exceed materials available on earth considering that we still need to produce other things.

The bigger the project the bigger impact on life of an aerage human. Going to space give ourselves ton of things that our life is much easier so i think that that it would be worth trying.

I do like but i watch more movies than read books. I have read a few e.g. "Niezwyciężony" from Stanisław Lem which is my favourite one scince then.
1. Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
I think that building a space elevator will be definitely possible one day. I think that if it won’t find anything better and economically plausible we will build one.

2. What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
I think that it would be built only if it could make profit, asteroid mining can be hugely profitable and worth trillion of dollars, I think that it could make an economic sense to build it, even if the upfront cost is enormous.

3. Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?
I’m not really a fan of science fiction but I really liked “Altered Carbon”
Roman Dubovyi said…
1. Space hook concept is more probable than space elevator. I think it’s more likely that something like that will be build instead of space elevator.

2. I don’t think it will be built, because nano-materials needed are too costly to produce.

3. Yes, but not in the form of books.
Ivan Mazuryk said…
1. Yeah, one day, it will be possible for sure. But I don't see the real reason for building it.

2. Actually, we can print as much money as we want and spend them on such projects. But each project should have a commercial background and bring at least some benefit to humanity.

3. Yes I do. One of my favorite is "Flowers for Algernon"
Yubin said…
1.Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
Yes, I do, since human civilization and technology grow exponentially, everything is possible if the idea logically works, this is only a matter of time.

2.What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
If you have enough money and strong ambitions, then it is not a problem. Just like Elon Musk who is the only one lives like Iron Man in recent years, he is quite famous for his company "SpaceX", actually he played a cameo role in "Iron Man", so I guess he is the role prototype of Iron Man.

3.Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?
Yes I do, but I prefer movies in this genre.
1. Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
Yes, think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day. One day we will be able to build everything we can imagine.
2. What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
Depends on the chances of success of such projects and its usefulness? if there is more then 90% chance then why not.
3. Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?
Yes, I like science fiction genre. I like Star Wars series at last most of them
Szymon Kluczek said…
1. Due to great development of science and significant technological advances I think It’s very likely that the space elevator will be build in the future. Scientists and lots of engineers, technicians keep working on this project and I’m sure they are not gonna give up till they find the way to solve the problem of ‘space journeys’ and finally be able to build the elevator.

2. I’m really torn between the two sides. On the one hand the costs of the project are super high and there are so many different suff, problems worldwide, which could be solved if we vote that large sum for them, but on the other hand if the project was a success, humanity would really benefit from it in the future.

3. Frankly speaking I don’t like science fiction at all, I prefer more actual genres like documantary or biography.
Mateusz Szych said…
1. In my opinion, something like a space elevator is unreal. I think space flights will become as cheap as nowadays by plane and this will be the default transport into space.

2. The development of technology is important, and history shows that stupid theories can turn out to be a revolution.

3. I prefer fantasy books but I really like sci-fi movies. My favorite is the Star Trek: Discovery.
Cem Ates said…

Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
I dunno about the space elevator but i wish they could bring it up with an idea of express pizza elavator which brings pizzas in seconds to your address.
What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
that's not an easy gig to finish it in 1 day, ofc it will take time and money to build something like that, even as the video says we don't have enough strong material yet to build one.
Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?
I do like of course, and as good book i suggest handmaid's Tale, atwood.

Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
Maybe, but not early than 3-5 decades. I think we are just in the beginning of progress and there are so many things to discover yet. Regarding space elevator, it could be good idea but it's hard to realize.
What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
From one perspective it is good to develop new ideas but from another point it is simple waste of money. It's hard to assume something because development need financing and it won't work another way
Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?
Yes I like it very much and the favorite one is World war Z.
s15385 said…
1. I think people will be able build everything they want one day. Our technology and engineering is developing in incredible fast way so it's very likely that we build such an elevator to space.

2. We have to take a risk and experiment with space because our planet will be overpopulated sooner or later. We will have to find solutions probably in space.

3.I like science fiction genre but I don't have any favourite books. I've read only one sci-fic book. It was 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' and I liked it.
Anton Chechel said…
Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
It seems to me that this is not a simple project, at least because tether has to be very long and very durable - that is, it requires high technological development. And to build such a mechanism
to maintain a constant velocity in space (since tether does not have to be a curve and the counterweight should not fall to or escape from the Earth) sounds, to me, as an unrealistic task. But who knows. No one could have thought of creating a computer before. So the chance to create anything always exists. The main thing is desire.

What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
Well it's not just spending, it's the investment. So if it can help save on space transportation and human delivery into space plus reduce carbon emissions then why not?

Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favorite books?
I like the science fiction genre, but more in the movies than in the books. Unfortunately, I can't give any specific example of my favorite movie as it is not my favorite genre but I like to watch movies or serials that use a lot of scientific terms because during this viewing you can also learn something new in science
Mehmet KONUK said…
Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
Why not? What people have accomplished over the centuries, I'm sure they will.
What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
I think it is normal to invest in large amounts and spend a large amount of money in the future to improve the future and to use it cheaper if it is a useful business.
Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?
Yeah, I do, but I don't have a favorite book. I prefer watching more science fiction movies
I think we'll be able to build such an elevator one day, I bet it will happen within 100 years. In my opinion, we have only 2 directions left in the exploration: Space or a journey into the depths of the earth. No matter which way we go, in my opinion it's worth investing any money. I didn't read too many sci-fi books but I watched a lot of movies:p. My favorite is Interstellar.
1. I think this is possible and much more. Humankind can create so unbelievable things. If only they cooperate. In my opinion space is the only way for civilization to survive. One day we leave earth and find new planet to live.

2. If we look at this price today it's enormous but we should ask question a bit differently. I would put "work" instead of "money" because money is just our materialized work. I think we will create such incredible things in future using new technology which make this much easier = cheaper.

3. I like science fiction genre. When I was a kid I love movies like Star Wars or Star Trek. From books I really like "Altered Carbon" by Richard Morgan.
Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?

I am not sure about this one. I heard some more realistic ideas about getting to space. Moreover, I think maintaining such a big object will very hard and problematic. And of course, it will hard to realize such an idea now.

What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?


It depends on time. If we are talking now, I think it is not efficiently spent money. We have bigger problems to solve now. Like global warming and things, which cause it. I think for this we also need a lot of money and it is better to spend them on solving this problem, rather than building a space elevator. But if we are talking about the future, then I think it is possible, maybe there will be cheaper and better materials and the costs will be different.

Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?

I like science fiction films. Like SW, StartTrack etc. I like how it is all shown there and hope that one day it will the reality. But in reading, I like fantasy books, with magic and dragons :)
Mateusz Hefner said…
1.Do you think it will be possible to build the space elevator one day?
Humankind proved that impossible can be possible so I think in the future, why not.

2.What do you think about spending enormous amounts of money on such projects?
I think its good people try new things and I strongly support such behavior.

3.Do you like science fiction genre? If yes, do you have favourite books?
I don't read any of such books.

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