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Thinking about a "counterweight" orbiting a planet to which it is connected by a cable: as the cable offers resistance to the planet's atmosphere, and as the p

Thinking about a "counterweight" orbiting a planet to which it is connected by a cable: as the cable offers resistance to the planet's atmosphere, and as the planet's atmosphere is active/changing, the "thing orbiting" would still have to have an excellent aerodynamic shape to survive the planet's atmospheric effects, right? (as e.g. the lower part of its cable would probably soon or later be "pushed" by winds therefore initially speeding up the counterweight but lowering its altitude - and/or later after some iterations of push/pull generating maybe a slingshot-effect, sending it into a potentially full crash-course towards the atmosphere/planet's ground).

comboy 8y ago
Centrifugal force would keep straightening it up.
- zepearl 8y ago
  Yes, but probably only in general (meaning only from a theoretical point of view without considering external forces)? E.g. as soon as the cable has headwind (in the opposite way of the planet's rotation) the cable would slack off, the thing in orbit would slow down & lower its altitude (how much? Would it anyway have to always skim the upper atmosphere?) => then as soon as the cable gets tailwind the opposite would happen, with relative slingshot-effect.
  - jaggederest 8y ago
    For practical purposes the atmosphere ends at 500km altitude. The cable is going to have to be 36,000 kilometers long. Atmospheric effects are pretty much rounding error at that point - imagine trying to swing a 10 foot long pole by blowing on the first inch.
    - zepearl 8y ago
      Ok, you're right from that perspective :)
    - joering2 8y ago
      Just fantisizing here, but helium baloons go over 50km up; can this elevator cable be vertically supported by solar-powered helium-filled heat packs alongs its way, with horizontal stabilization of large fans blowing in oposite direction (lower atmosphere) and tiny rocket boosts in above-atmosphere region similar to how sattelites correct their orbits? Just fantasizing here..
  - gammatrigono 8y ago
    Have to love seeing computer programmers feebly attempt to understand physics despite being completely ignorant. It's like seeing a ballerina try competitive swimming.
andrewflnr 8y ago
Geostationary orbit is really high. To say that it's well above the atmosphere is a huge understatement. If your counterweight gets anywhere near the atmosphere, it's already dead, everyone aboard is dead, the elevator is dead, a fair chunk of the earth's surface is dead, etc.

comboy 8y ago

Centrifugal force would keep straightening it up.

zepearl 8y ago
Yes, but probably only in general (meaning only from a theoretical point of view without considering external forces)? E.g. as soon as the cable has headwind (in the opposite way of the planet's rotation) the cable would slack off, the thing in orbit would slow down & lower its altitude (how much? Would it anyway have to always skim the upper atmosphere?) => then as soon as the cable gets tailwind the opposite would happen, with relative slingshot-effect.
- jaggederest 8y ago
  For practical purposes the atmosphere ends at 500km altitude. The cable is going to have to be 36,000 kilometers long. Atmospheric effects are pretty much rounding error at that point - imagine trying to swing a 10 foot long pole by blowing on the first inch.
  - zepearl 8y ago
    Ok, you're right from that perspective :)
  - joering2 8y ago
    Just fantisizing here, but helium baloons go over 50km up; can this elevator cable be vertically supported by solar-powered helium-filled heat packs alongs its way, with horizontal stabilization of large fans blowing in oposite direction (lower atmosphere) and tiny rocket boosts in above-atmosphere region similar to how sattelites correct their orbits? Just fantasizing here..
- gammatrigono 8y ago
  Have to love seeing computer programmers feebly attempt to understand physics despite being completely ignorant. It's like seeing a ballerina try competitive swimming.

andrewflnr 8y ago

Geostationary orbit is really high. To say that it's well above the atmosphere is a huge understatement. If your counterweight gets anywhere near the atmosphere, it's already dead, everyone aboard is dead, the elevator is dead, a fair chunk of the earth's surface is dead, etc.