How would a MOBILE space elevator work? How would it be useful and why do we need it?
A space elevator would consist of a cable anchored to the Earth’s surface, reaching into space. By attaching a counterweight at the end (or by further extending the cable for the same purpose), inertia ensures that the cable remains stretched taut, countering the gravitational pull on the lower sections, thus allowing the elevator to remain in geostationary orbit. Once beyond the gravitational midpoint, carriages would be accelerated further by the planet’s rotation. In order to provide power to the elevator (the climber), power could be directed to the platform via lasers of some other energy sources. A space elevator would open travel to space to almost anyone who wanted to go, and not just the few select astronauts with years and years of training. It could also deliver cargo to orbit on a regular basis without the use of expensive rockets.
