London - It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “We have lift off” – scientists have drawn up plans for the first elevator into space.
About 20 times higher than any other building on Earth, it would carry astronauts and their spacecraft 12.4 miles (about 20km) into the sky.
Incredibly, the tower that houses the lift would be inflatable and freestanding.
Taking off in the stratosphere –from an airstrip on the top of the tower – would cut the amount of fuel needed for take-off by a third, greatly reducing the cost.
That would make the wonders of space more accessible for tourists, as well as for astronauts.
Caroline Roberts, president of Thoth Technology, which has been granted a patent for its design, said it will “make space flight more like taking a passenger jet”.
The Canadian firm’s plans come more than 100 years after a Russian scientist, inspired by Paris’s Eiffel Tower, first suggested building a tower into space. However, it took until 1979 for the idea to be popularised with the publication of Arthur C Clarke’s novel The Fountains Of Paradise, which featured an elevator that reached more than 22 000 miles in space.
While 12.4 miles, or 20km, may seem puny in comparison, it is 20 times higher than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building. And Thoth may aim even higher. The patent says the structure could be scaled up ten times, to reach 124 miles.
Technology writer Charlie Sorrel said that is a little like saying your bank balance could be scaled to reach $1-billion. “It’s technically true but the execution may prove tricky,” he said. The Thoth X Tower would be made from reinforced inflatable sections and topped by a launch pad for landings and take-offs.
Its inventor Dr Brendan Quine said: “Astronauts would ascend to 12 miles by electrical elevator.
“From the top of the tower, space planes will launch in a single stage to orbit, returning to the top of the tower for refuelling.”
Other potential uses include scientific research and generating wind power. Ontario-based Thoth says that far from being pie in the sky, a shorter, prototype elevator could be built by 2023. They insist the full tower is 20 years away.
Japanese firm Obayashi claims that by 2050 it will have an elevator that runs 60 000 miles into space.Others remain sceptical. Elon Musk, the PayPal founder who runs space exploration firm SpaceX, recently said it would be easier to “have a bridge from LA to Tokyo” than a space elevator.
Daily Mail