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Can't we use multiple cables then? There are ships that can lift over 10,000 tons with their cranes. Some of these are decades old.
by Aerroon 5y ago
Can't we use multiple cables then? There are ships that can lift over 10,000 tons with their cranes. Some of these are decades old.
- kamray23 5y agoYeah, we can. The issue is that tensile strength is measured as pressure, as force per area. Splitting a one meter cable into 10 cm cables is certainly possible. Those are half the length of your normal school ruler. You will need 100 of them, though, and since the area and length are the same, the volume, and by extension the mass are the same. It's certainly easier to manufacture, but it doesn't change the calculation. Cranes capable of lifting metric tonnes are giant. Just the cabling alone can weigh as much as a small skyscraper. That just isn't going to space.