Why build the Orbital Ring? It would cut our costs of going to orbit from about $2000/kg to about $1/kg. There are individual asteroids that have tens of trillions of dollars in materials on them that could be mined. One mission could easily pay for the cost of building the Orbital Ring.
We could then deploy solar power satellites in orbit above cloud cover and return the power back to the surface with near zero loss by running power transmission cables down the elevator, and sell the power at a profit.
With increased luminosity in space, enhanced exposure time, and the ability to deliver base loads, solar panels pay for themselves in only 1-2 years while having a 20 year life time.
In other words, if you put $5 trillion of solar panels into space, you get your $5 trillion back by the end of year two and a $5 trillion income stream each year thereafter.
In other words, the US could cut everyone's taxes, both personal and business, income, capital, death, or otherwise, all to 0%, not even cut any benefits or current spending, and pay off the national debt within a decade.
I'm still not buying this >Implying Sandniggers wouldn't just blow it up
Ryan Jones
Shove that space elevator right in here baby ;O
Leo Morgan
What about earthquakes?
Owen Morgan
Ok, let's talk about this. How often akmed attack places where thousands of people are gathered, like stadiums? Not very often, compared to how easy it is to murder thousands of people.
By having some basic security protocals (Akmed-sniffing dogs, etc.) you can stop any individual terrorists. And parking an aircraft carried should take of anything else.
Landon Nelson
OP, you are lacking IMMENSELY in the physics education department. >space elevator This is already stupid >steel and kevlar On top the stupid, this is insufficiently strong >solar power satellites Solar is shit on the ground and just slightly less shit in space. Does not cover the cost / benefit at all. You're better off building them by the square miles in deserted areas for every square feet cost IN FUCKING SPACE, RETARD >being this fucking dumb it's like you're a concept architect and believed in the suspended inverted asteroid skyscraper
Nathan Gutierrez
That's a good question. Paul Birch's papers discuss things like wind, and it would be able to survive a categoru 5 hurricane. Haven't looked at earthquakes, though.
