Looks like someone has been watching a little too much Gundam. A Canadian firm, Thoth Technology, has been granted a patent on a “Space Elevator.” Yes, I’m quite serious. This space elevator would allow astronauts to take the elevator into orbit, instead entering orbit through more conventional means. According to the report, this tower would be extended at least 20x higher than Dubai’s Burji Khakifa, which just happens to be the world’s tallest building and measures up to 2,723 feet.
Thoth Technology envisions building a 12 mile high tower, which would have a platform resting on the top. Uses for the platform would include “launching payloads, tourism, observation, scientific research and communications.” The tower would function with elevator cards that would move up and down within the tower and would be made out of pressurized, stacked cells per the patent.
Seems like, well, something straight out of Gundam or any other sci-fi story bur at the same time it’s very intriguing. Definitely would help reduce costs on space travel, especially when it comes to fuel, though I’m not sure about the other proposed uses for it. Tourism for example: that’s a long drop and will be definitely a prime targetsfor some crazy folks to jump from or worse.
And then there’s the cost, can you imagine how much that would cost? Now if they could give us actual mechas that move as fluidly as what we see in the anime.
