The tower extends from the Earth to the geostationary orbit! The lower part of the tower may be damaged by wind, lightning, and icing. The minimum mass of a steel tower is greater than the mass of the Earth! Buckling makes it even heavier than skyhook. A structural material of great specific strength and stiffness is needed to make this idea practical. Plastic cannot be used because it is vulnerable to space radiation and thermal fatigue.
Konstantin Edvardovich Tsiolkovsky, "Grezy o Zemle i Nebe (i) Na Veste" (in Russian, Speculations about Earth and Sky and on Vesta) Academy of Sciences, U.S.S.R., Moscow, 1959, p. 35 (first published in 1895).
Geoffrey A. Landis and Craig Cafarelli, "The Tsiolkovski Tower Reexamined," IAF-95-V.4.07, 46th International Astronautical Congress, October 2-6, 1995, Oslo, Norway.
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Curator: Al Globus If you find any errors on this page contact Al Globus. |
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