What is Space Elevator?

  A space elevator is an elevator that goes back and forth from the ground on Earth to a space station outside Earth. This idea was conceived by Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovskii (1857-1935), a Soviet physicist and pioneer of space flight theory in 1895, and later appeared in science fiction novels, and recently in the Korean film SPACE SWEEPERS (2020). is also introduced. Anyone who comes across this word will immediately question whether it is realistically possible. In conclusion, of course, it is not yet possible with the current technology. Unexpectedly, however, scientists from various countries around the world are conducting research on technology for space elevators, and it is clear that NASA in the United States is also conducting research on space elevator technology. First of all, aside from the possibility of reality, there is a space rocket that anyone can think of easily, so we need to think about why we are interested in the space elevator.

  The main reason, of course, is cost. And although it can be considered that it is included in the cost, additional risk reduction and high usability can also be considered. It is known that a rocket of current technology costs $20,000 to $35,000 to send 1 kg into space. On the other hand, if the space elevator is realized, it can be greatly reduced from $200 to $350. And rockets have to take a lot of risks in the process of taking off and returning at high speed. Finally, the space elevator is very versatile. In other words, in the future, there will be a lot of frequent round-trips to the moon, but it will be much easier and more convenient if all the necessary items are moved to the International Space Station (ISS) and the spacecraft is operated.

  Finally, if the space elevator is realized, there is an expectation that the opportunity for space travel will come more easily to the general public. For those who are reading this right now, I don't know, but for the babies being born now, I think that it will become a reality rather than a dream.

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The original text of this article was written in Korean(click). It is provided in English using Google Translate. If anyone corrects the English and sends it to us, we will reflect it.

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