Easy Access to Space

If we don't develop
	EASY ACCESS TO SPACE
		soon, then humanity is stuffed

We are not doing enough about global warming. In addition, the world's resources will become scarce over the coming decades. We urgently need easier access to space to help with both problems. In coming centuries, power generation and industry will need to be carried out in orbit, using resources from the asteroid belt, allowing the world to be designated a pollution-free National Park.

See the video The Argument in Greater Detail Space Elevator Blog Archive Space Elevator Conference Aug. 2016 Mark Miowdownik BBC Children's Lecture 2010 No Upper Speed Limit Nasa Strong Tether Challenge Good introduction to Space elevator concept 1800 trillion zips	How will easier access to space help? We need to get power generation and heavy industry into orbit, to reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere. We will need to access the solar system for its resources (for example, the oil floating in the atmosphere of Jupiter is three times the volume of the earth). We may also need to undertake geo-engineering, to shade the earth from the sun to control the global temperature. But I thought global warming had been disproved?A few scientists with integrity hold this view, but the majority don't. Why risk it? But I thought there was enough fossil fuel energy for hundreds of years? Maybe, but burning it in the atmosphere is not a good idea. The rarer metals will be in short supply by 2100. Phosphorus, essential for growing plants, will become scarce in a few decades, but there is a lot of it on the moon. Why not use the space rockets we already have?They are wasteful of energy, inefficient and expensive. A space elevator is a better alternative. It is a fifty thousand mile cable stretching upwards from the equator with a weight on the end, kept taut by centrifugal force. We need it within a few decades.
	Why the urgency? Building a space elevator will require energy and material resources. Once we get into times of scarcity, the opportunity will have passed. What happens if we don't exploit space? The future becomes very uncertain. In the worst case, we can expect major resource wars which will dwarf the conflicts of the twentieth century. Thank you for your interest. David Pennant, Woking, UK	What next? The cable will need to be made of stronger material than we have now. Carbon Nanotubes are a promising possibility. Vehicles to climb the cable are progressing. See here What can I do? Pass on the word. Help to develop the necessary technologies. Reduce your own consumption.

EASY ACCESS TO SPACE