Kind: captions
Language: en
[Music]
you're watching a Nova science Now video
podcast here's producer Joe
McMaster when we were researching ideas
for new segments we came across
something that was really just kind of
irresistible to us and that is that NASA
was sponsoring a competition to see if
someone could build a working prototype
of a space elevator which is sort of a
machine that would crawl up an
enormously long and strong cable into
outer
space given that our host Neil degr
Tyson is an astrophysicist and that it's
just such a interesting and appealing
idea we just had to go for it most of
the teams in NASA's competition thought
a real space elevator wouldn't be built
for decades but we also came across a
company near Seattle that actually
claimed they could build one in the near
future so here's what Neil and I
discovered when we visited them so what
is this contraption this is a lifter
robot it is a prototype of technology to
climb a space elevator ribbon to where
to
space how far is this climbed so far
this has climbed 1500 ft up that is not
space that is not but it's a first baby
step to get there so how far away are we
from realizing this dream we think that
there's going to be some version of this
system within the next 15 years it's not
going to be wait a version to 22,000 M
there will be something when within the
next 15 years really yeah yeah what are
these batter those are batteries so
suppose you're halfway into space and
the batteries die well that's a bad
sit you won't have batteries in the
first place you know for climbing 150 ft
battery is fine of building right
climbing to space it's not economical to
carry your batteries with you
particularly just a velro to the side
right that's right so can you show me
how it works yeah I think so let's do it
all
right power to the end Full Speed
Ahead if someone is going to be on a
elevator and they have to travel 22,000
Mi the prerequisite should be that they
don't get old and die before they get to
the platform so how long do you foresee
this trip taking it'll be about a week a
week a week right so you're going to be
so the trip itself is a vacation oh
absolutely so here it
comes looking
healthy can I get the first round
absolutely congratulations thanks a
lot just a few decades ago putting men
on the moon sounded just as outrageous
as space elevators sound
today when it comes to the space
elevator we should probably never say
never but I'm still a bit
skeptical you can learn more about these
elevators to space on our website at
pbs.org
noova sciencenow