Japanese Company To Build World's First Space Elevator
Japanese infrastructure company The Obayashi Corporation has announced its intention to send tourists to space by building a space elevator by 2050.
The company is planning to construct a spaceport on Earth which will be connected via a cable to another space spation 20, 000 miles above the planet’s surface.
The elevator can accommodate up to 30 passengers at one time into space at a speed of 125miles an hour, which would mean that the overall trip would take 8 days.
Living quarters, laboratories and zero gravity experience are also included in the proposal.
Carbon nanotubes are said to the primary material of the cable owing to their strength and lightweight nature.
With the cost of construction estimated to be $6 billion, one can only guess how expensive the ticket will be.
[via Inhabitat]
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