Space lift
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Japanese scientists are attempting to build a lift that will take passengers 62,000 miles (99,780km) into space. The lift’s carriages would move up and down 22,000-mile-long cables that must be stronger and lighter than any material ever woven, according to the Daily Telegraph. The cables would be anchored to the ground and will disappear into the sky, eventually reaching a satellite docking station orbiting above the Earth.
Scientists hope that besides carrying human passengers, the carriages could also haul huge, solar-powered generators that could power homes and businesses back on Earth. It could also remove barrels of nuclear waste, dumping them into space, the report said.
Shuichi Ono, Chairman of the Japan Space Elevator Association, was reported telling newspaper; “Just like travelling abroad, anyone will be able to ride the elevator into space.”
The report said the project could see the realisation of a dream that has inspired science fiction writers for generations since it was first envisioned by sci-fi writer Arthur C. Clarke, in his 1979 book The Fountains of Paradise.
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