From: vince@offshore.ai (Vincent Cate)
Newsgroups: sci.space.tech
Subject: Re: Does a space elevator have to be anchored at the equator?
References: <72d1912e.0305312044.6cf41b58@posting.google.com>
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arthur@kindred.net (Arthur Hansen) wrote in message 
news:<72d1912e.0305312044.6cf41b58@posting.google.com>...
> Or is the idea inherently broken somewhere that I don't see?

One of the reasons for locating a "Space Elevator" near the
equator is that you need an area with very little high winds 
or lightning and the ability to move the anchor to avoid the 
few that do come to that area.  There seems to be a good place 
in the Pacific near the Galapagos islands.

The biggest problem is that we do not yet have a cable with the
strength to weight ratio needed for a Space Elevator.  We need
something 10 times better than what we have.  The last factor
of 2 improvement took like 15 years (Kevlar to Spectra-2000).
There is reason to hope that carbon-nanotubes will let things
improve faster than this, but till you have the cable I would
not try to guess how many years of research it will take.

A rotovator seems much better to me as we can build it today
and it does not take days to climb, so you could launch something
every 90 minutes.

      -- Vince

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Vincent Cate                           Space Tether Enthusiast 
 vince@offshore.ai                      http://spacetethers.com/
 Anguilla, East Caribbean               http://offshore.ai/vince
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You have to take life as it happens, but you should try to make it
happen the way you want to take it.    - German Proverb