A Canada-based space company has patented an inflatable "space elevator" designed to propel astronauts up into the stratosphere before they blast off into space.
If the maverick "ThothX Tower" were ever actually built, it would soar 20km (12.4 miles) into the sky, and would reduce the cost of space launches by 30 percent in fuel costs alone, according to estimations. It's even hoped that the lift could replace some kinds of satellites.
Thoth Technology's Brendan Quine, who invented the prototype, explained: "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 and reflight."
The concept of space elevators has been around for a long time, largely as a potential alternative to highly inefficient, fuel-guzzling rockets. Engineers have long puzzled over what materials could be successfully used to support the structure at such a height, with diamond nano-threads suggested as one option.
Thoth's design -- though still twenty times higher than the world's current tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa -- would reach as far as the stratosphere, falling short of full geostationary orbit, and would be made of reinforced inflatable segments. According to the blueprint, it would use a complex arrangement of fly-wheels to remain upright, and would be crowned with a runway from which spacecraft could be launched.
It seems that pressurised cars, capable of carrying payloads of up to 10 tonnes, would run either through the centre of the tower or along the outside, carrying cargo to the summit. Besides helping to expand the horizons of scientific research and communications, the ThothX Tower could also push the boundaries of space travel, "making space flight more like taking a passenger jet," according to Caroline Roberts, Thoth Technology's CEO and president.
But what are the chances of a space elevator -- prophesied by sci-fi visionaries such as Arthur C Clarke -- ever actually making it beyond a far-fetched patent? Given its height, the tower would need to be capable of withstanding high-velocity winds and extreme altitudes, which apart from making landings precarious, could make the whole structure sway and wobble. Given its vast size, the ThothX would probably need to be built in a remote location, and there's no mention of how much the groundbreaking project would cost in total.
Given that similar -- though slightly less ambitious -- concepts such as safe, inexpensive inflatable houses or even Elon Musk's Hyperloop have yet to make it beyond the design stage, it is likely we will need to see a few more engineering breakthroughs before the high-reaching ThothX Tower becomes a reality.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
