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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Storminator" data-source="post: 517707" data-attributes="member: 305">What is the cable made of? There's nothing made right now that can hold up to those stresses. Can you imagine the forces acting on that cable? An ariplane just might sever the cable, depending on the strain it's under to begin with.The danger to the elevator is a meteor hitting the cable near the station, or hitting the station itself. Then the cable, anchored at the base, lays down. Remember, a space elevator has the station in geosync orbit...40000+ km away. The cable wraps the equator!All that aside, the real deterrent to a space elevator is cost. I've seen estimates of 10 billion USD, assuming we invent new materials, have no unforeseen engineering problems, and no redesigns. All that says to me: closer to half a trillion dollars. You need to lift a LOT of material into space to make that money back.PS</blockquote>