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Posted by: spurkis
Posted by: Spartan1065
There was just a thread the other day asking what the most improbable technology from Halo is, and someone posted the orbital elevators. I was surprised to find that a lot of people didn't know that there has been a lot of serious research by many agencies into finding practical applications for them.
And I was one of them, although I was well aware before posting that the idea of an orbital elevator is being toyed around with.
The reason I posted it is because I think that when we actually have the tech to build it, we've already found better ways to reach space, like rockets running on cheaper fuel. Remember that we're talking about a structure infinitely bigger than anything humanity has built and will build in the visible future. It's an ultrastructure composed of extremely expensive nanotubes that I have trouble believing companies would invest in.
Maybe in the very distand future, but not for a while.
OT: The rings that coat the orbital elevators in Halo - would they, or some similar form of outer structure, be neccessary for a real elevator?
I think the advantages outweigh the cost. Seeing as how the theorized tether wouldn't need a whole lot of energy to run. In fact, it could probably run solely on solar energy. So unlimited electricity is better than feul any day of the week, no matter how much more efficient it is.
The craft that would ferry people/freight up and down would most likely be a maglev transport and they only use electromagnets.
To answer your question: I'm not sure. Those rings may be there to support the elevator craft, possibly even protect it in some way. I honestly don't know for sure. Most renders of postulated space elevators don't show anything like that. It's also possible that Bungie just put those in for aesthetic purposes. Maybe the rings are the electromagnets. Don't know.
[Edited on 05.15.2011 3:13 PM PDT]