Space elevators may soon come into existence, experts say

Space travel in the future may not be so difficult, say the experts as the existence of space elevators is not so distant and may become a reality sooner than we thought, making space travel easy and accessible to all. These very space elevators will be able to take payloads from the surface of Earth into space directly.

This is inspired and similar to the technology shown in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise where people and ships could travel to space without a spacecraft. While the idea of space elevators was thought to be fiction, it is believed to come into existence soon with companies such as SpaceX aiming to send people to space as tourists. These space elevators can help reduce the resources required for space travel, decreasing overall costs.

Stephen Cohen, a physics professor, wrote in the Scientific American, “Space elevators are often dismissed as a science fiction dream, but I believe they will exist soon—perhaps in two or three decades.” Professor Cohen described the space elevators as a “long cable that extends from Earth’s equator and fixed to a satellite at the far end.” He added, “The system spins along with the Earth.”

Cohen mentioned, “While the synthesis of potentially suitable materials has progressed in recent years, we are still at least 10 years away from a material solution (one having adequate properties, and that can be manufactured reasonably quickly at a reasonable cost).” Space travel is still vague. However, one can learn about the space experiences from astronauts who have lived there for a long time.

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