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Here's a NASA-funded study from the early 2000s, arguing that a space elevator could be built as a paper-thin ribbon at least a meter wide, composed of carbon n

Here's a NASA-funded study from the early 2000s, arguing that a space elevator could be built as a paper-thin ribbon at least a meter wide, composed of carbon nanotubes 7cm long, bonded together with epoxy. http://images.spaceref.com/docs/spaceelevator/521Edwards.pdf http://images.spaceref.com/docs/spaceelevator/521Edwards.pdf The study also addresses lots of other engineering issues. This work sparked a lot of subsequent R&D that is still ongoing. We're not yet able to actually make the ribbon described in the study, but we're getting there. Then again, if you're willing to rely on dynamic support, a minimal orbital ring could be built with materials we have today: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_ring https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_ring

thethirdone 2y ago
From the linked report: > The material required for construction of the cable is a carbon nanotube composite: currently under development and will be available in 2 years. Its actually crazy that the report thinks that we would have the necessary material in 2005 and is still used as evidence of a practical space elevator. The graph on page 10 shows the absolutely massive extrapolation from data at the time. It seems disingenuous to even talk final price and time to construct a space elevator (as is done in the one-page brief) without any data confirming the possibility of manufacturing the goal material.
- DennisP 2y ago
  It was definitely way overoptimistic on making the material. But it does present a pretty interesting design, for whenever the material becomes available.