Post by sherlew99 on Aug 19, 2015 16:49:55 GMT -6
Space.com
Wild Inflatable Space Elevator Idea Could Lift People 12 Miles Up
by Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor | August 17, 2015 11:28am ET
According to Thoth Technology Inc., the company that was awarded the patent, the U.S. patent allows for an elevator that would be 30 percent cheaper than the fuel required by a conventional rocket. Also, the system would be fully reusable, further reducing costs, the company said.
"Astronauts would ascend to 20 km by electrical elevator," inventor Brendan Quine said in a statement. "From the top of the tower, space planes will launch in a single stage to orbit, returning to the top of the tower for refueling and reflight."
Wild Inflatable Space Elevator Idea Could Lift People 12 Miles Up
by Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor | August 17, 2015 11:28am ET
According to Thoth Technology Inc., the company that was awarded the patent, the U.S. patent allows for an elevator that would be 30 percent cheaper than the fuel required by a conventional rocket. Also, the system would be fully reusable, further reducing costs, the company said.
"Astronauts would ascend to 20 km by electrical elevator," inventor Brendan Quine said in a statement. "From the top of the tower, space planes will launch in a single stage to orbit, returning to the top of the tower for refueling and reflight."
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