text: 305,22,1166325024371957760,621147651,zpenoyre,"New paper out today / we've invented a new kind of space elevator / one that we can build with modern materials / please consider sharing, it's a project worth considering in earnest: <LINK> <LINK> @hippke @EmSandford Happy to try - this was an independent genesis of an idea which may well have more overlap with the existing literature than I'm aware (though I've tried my best to find out what already exists) @hippke @EmSandford The basic concept - extending an elevator from the lunar surface, and in doing so being able to construct it relatively cheaply out of materials already available - was new to me, though I have since found some other mentions of lunar-space elevators (there's a wiki page) @hippke @EmSandford What surprised me was how achievable a protect this is - and how much could be gained from doing it - the existing literature seems to focus on future materials and vast translunar transport systems @hippke @EmSandford But a minimal cable - primarily used to support a Lagrange point base camp - which could be deployed in years not decades, for billions not trillions - seems to be unexplored as a concept @hippke @EmSandford (also this is very much the theorist in me talking - but I think an independent derivation of a set of equations is always worth putting out there) @hippke @EmSandford It may be that there are communities who have explored this in detail - and I look forward to hearing from them - the academic web is incomplete and hard to traverse - who knows what lurks out there",https://arxiv.org/abs/1908.09339,"Perhaps the biggest hurdle to mankind's expansion throughout the Solar System is the prohibitive cost of escaping Earth's gravitational pull. In its many forms, the space-elevator provides a way to circumvent this cost, allowing payloads to traverse along a cable extending from Earth to orbit. However, modern materials are not strong enough to build a cable capable of supporting its own weight. In this work we present an alternative to the classic space elevator, within reach of modern technology: The Spaceline. By extending a line, anchored on the moon, to deep within Earth's gravity well, we can construct a stable, traversable cable allowing free movement from the vicinity of Earth to the Moon's surface. With current materials, it is feasible to build a cable extending to close to the height of geostationary orbit, allowing easy traversal and construction between the Earth and the Moon. ","The Spaceline: a practical space elevator alternative achievable with