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A Canadian company, Thoth Technology Inc, has been awarded a patent for an inflatable space elevator.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/space-elevator-could-lift-people-12-miles-up-in-the-air/
A Canadian space company was recently awarded a patent for a space elevator that would reach about 12 miles (20 kilometers) above the Earth's surface.
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According to Thoth Technology Inc., the company that was awarded the patent, the U.S. patent allows for an elevator that would be 30 percent cheaper than the fuel required by a conventional rocket. Also, the system would be fully reusable, further reducing costs, the company said.
"Astronauts would ascend to 20 km by electrical elevator," inventor Brendan Quine said in a statement. "From the top of the tower, space planes will launch in a single stage to orbit, returning to the top of the tower for refueling and reflight."
Original Submission
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 19 2015, @12:04AM
Elavator is spelled Elevator, and patents shouldn't be given ideas that have been around for 100 years.
(Score: 1) by ese002 on Wednesday August 19 2015, @12:14AM
Elavator is spelled Elevator, and patents shouldn't be given ideas that have been around for 100 years.
No worries. Patents already don't apply to things that won't be built for more than 20 years.
(Score: 2) by vux984 on Wednesday August 19 2015, @12:30AM
and patents shouldn't be given ideas that have been around for 100 years.
Patents are (supposed to be) for concrete implementations. The idea "a cure for cancer" isn't patentable. Even "a cure for cancer that destroys cancer cells delivered in pill form" isn't patentable. You can't patent a cure for cancer, unless you actually have one.
This elevator may prove impractical to actually build for some reason or other. But in principle at least, they've presented an actual idea for building one that they doesn't list unobtainium on its parts list.
(Score: 1) by meustrus on Wednesday August 19 2015, @02:51AM
But in principle at least, they've presented an actual idea for building one that they doesn't list unobtainium on its parts list.
Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough, but what exactly is the plan? Wouldn't building a 12 mile high tower actually be significantly harder than building a bona-fide space elevator? Because then you're dealing with huge amounts of wind shear without any "centrifugal" force to keep it straight.
If there isn't at least one reference or primary source, it's not +1 Informative. Maybe the underused +1 Interesting?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 19 2015, @05:34PM
Sounds like they want to keep it rigid with internal air pressure. That may substantially reduce the materials needed.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 19 2015, @01:55AM
No, no, they've invented the electronic lavatory, or e-lavator for short. It's quite spacious!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 19 2015, @08:12AM
Ah, I see: They put the surrounding of the urinal under voltage, thus making people to aim well out of self-interest. ;-)
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Wednesday August 19 2015, @03:04AM
Huh. And here I thought someone had invented a method of washing the internet.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.