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{{Wikipedia}} | {{Wikipedia}} | ||
[[File:Elevator standing.png|thumb|300px|The [[Mombasa Tether]].]] | [[File:Elevator standing.png|thumb|right|300px|The [[Mombasa Tether]].]] | ||
A '''space elevator''', also known as a '''space tether''', is an immense structure which is used to ferry large loads of materials into space. Space elevators generally consist of large structures of [[carbon nanofiber]] which span straight up from the ground, thousands of kilometers high, ending at stations in space. Vehicles using the structure derive their power from strands of superconducting material.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 28''</ref> Space elevators are only known to be constructed by [[human]]s since the 24th century. | A '''space elevator''', also known as a '''space tether''', is an immense structure which is used to ferry large loads of materials into space. Space elevators generally consist of large structures of [[carbon nanofiber]] which span straight up from the ground, thousands of kilometers high, ending at stations in space. Vehicles using the structure derive their power from strands of superconducting material.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 28''</ref> Space elevators are only known to be constructed by [[human]]s since the 24th century. | ||
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==Description== | ==Description== | ||
[[File:Mombasa View.jpg|thumb|250px|New Mombasa and the city's orbital elevator.]] | [[File:Mombasa View.jpg|thumb|250px|right|New Mombasa and the city's orbital elevator.]] | ||
A space elevator is a structure designed to transport and ferry different materials from a planet's surface into space and onto a platform. The base concept of a space elevator consists of a cable attached to the surface on the equator and reaching outwards into space. By positioning it so that the total centrifugal force exceeds the total gravity, either by extending the cable or attaching a counterweight, the elevator stays in place in [[geosynchronous orbit]]. Once moved far enough, climbers are accelerated further by the planet's rotation. | A space elevator is a structure designed to transport and ferry different materials from a planet's surface into space and onto a platform. The base concept of a space elevator consists of a cable attached to the surface on the equator and reaching outwards into space. By positioning it so that the total centrifugal force exceeds the total gravity, either by extending the cable or attaching a counterweight, the elevator stays in place in [[geosynchronous orbit]]. Once moved far enough, climbers are accelerated further by the planet's rotation. | ||
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===Structure=== | ===Structure=== | ||
[[File:Space tether.png|thumb|250px|A portion of the Mombasa Tether in low Earth orbit.]] | [[File:Space tether.png|thumb|250px|right|A portion of the Mombasa Tether in low Earth orbit.]] | ||
Space elevators vary in size and shape, but they are all typically composed of the same raw material. Meshed together as a complex composite of intertwining nanofibers, these ingredients form a series of massive cords and rings several hundred meters wide. They bind to a grounded set of [[polycrete]] anchors larger than most buildings which hold the elevator's structure in place while the planet spins on its axis. The zenith of the elevator, commonly known as the "orbital" or "terminus" is then pulled taut by the planet's rotational inertia, sliding into geosynchronous orbit thousands of kilometers above the planet.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}} | Space elevators vary in size and shape, but they are all typically composed of the same raw material. Meshed together as a complex composite of intertwining nanofibers, these ingredients form a series of massive cords and rings several hundred meters wide. They bind to a grounded set of [[polycrete]] anchors larger than most buildings which hold the elevator's structure in place while the planet spins on its axis. The zenith of the elevator, commonly known as the "orbital" or "terminus" is then pulled taut by the planet's rotational inertia, sliding into geosynchronous orbit thousands of kilometers above the planet.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}} | ||
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==History== | ==History== | ||
The earliest concepts of space elevator date back to the end of the 19th century. During the second half of the 20th century and the early 21st century, multiple concepts were proposed, but it was not until almost three hundred years later when the first space elevator would be built. The construction of the first space elevator, the [[Mombasa Tether]], began in [[2302]]. The cities with space elevators, "tether cities" as they came to be called, are often managed by second generation [[Dumb artificial intelligence|"dumb" AIs]]. As shown in [[New Mombasa]], space elevators have a significant impact to the importance and economy of the cities they are located in. The cities and their surroundings are usually full of warehouses, to store the massive amounts of cargo transported to and from orbit. As of 2552, Earth had six tether cities, each managed with the help of a [[Superintendent-class artificial intelligence|Superintendent-class AI]].<ref name="evg">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]],''' ''page 191''</ref> | The earliest concepts of space elevator date back to the end of the 19th century. During the second half of the 20th century and the early 21st century, multiple concepts were proposed, but it was not until almost three hundred years later when the first space elevator would be built. The construction of the first space elevator, the [[Mombasa Tether]], began in [[2302]]. The cities with space elevators, "tether cities" as they came to be called, are often managed by second generation [[Dumb artificial intelligence|"dumb" AIs]]. As shown in [[New Mombasa]], space elevators have a significant impact to the importance and economy of the cities they are located in. The cities and their surroundings are usually full of warehouses, to store the massive amounts of cargo transported to and from orbit. As of 2552, Earth had six tether cities, each managed with the help of a [[Superintendent-class artificial intelligence|Superintendent-class AI]].<ref name="evg">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]],''' ''page 191''</ref><ref name="bnet">[http://halo.bungie.net/projects/odst/guide.aspx '''Bungie.net''': ''Halo 3: ODST Field Guide, "Superintendent" entry'']</ref> Since the construction of Mombasa Tether, space elevators have come to fill number of functions in a variety of locations on Earth's colonies, ranging from transport of industrial or agricultural goods in the colonies to orbital personnel transport in military academies such as [[Corbulo Academy of Military Science]].{{Ref/Reuse|fud}} | ||
==Safety== | ==Safety== | ||
[[File:CirciniusIV attacked1.jpg|thumb|250px|A [[Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette|Covenant corvette]] destroying Corbulo Academy's space elevator.]] | [[File:CirciniusIV attacked1.jpg|thumb|250px|right|A [[Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette|Covenant corvette]] destroying Corbulo Academy's space elevator.]] | ||
Due to the size of the space elevator, the safety of such a structure is an obvious concern. Their relatively frail construction makes them an easy target for attacks, and the catastrophic effects of a space elevator's collapse were witnessed multiple times during the [[Human-Covenant War]], when many of UNSC's space elevators collapsed due to the fighting. Depending on the point in which the tether is severed, the collapse of a space elevator will cause varying degrees of large-scale destruction. The tether itself will not cause any significant damage at all, as its lightweight construction allows for air resistance to negate the effects of gravity. Instead, it will be the support structure that surrounds the tether that causes most of the damage, as evidenced by the wreckage strewn across the [[Tsavo highway (location)|Tsavo Highway]] after the collapse of the [[Mombasa Tether]].<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Tsavo Highway]]''</ref> | Due to the size of the space elevator, the safety of such a structure is an obvious concern. Their relatively frail construction makes them an easy target for attacks, and the catastrophic effects of a space elevator's collapse were witnessed multiple times during the [[Human-Covenant War]], when many of UNSC's space elevators collapsed due to the fighting. Depending on the point in which the tether is severed, the collapse of a space elevator will cause varying degrees of large-scale destruction. The tether itself will not cause any significant damage at all, as its lightweight construction allows for air resistance to negate the effects of gravity. Instead, it will be the support structure that surrounds the tether that causes most of the damage, as evidenced by the wreckage strewn across the [[Tsavo highway (location)|Tsavo Highway]] after the collapse of the [[Mombasa Tether]].<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Tsavo Highway]]''</ref> | ||
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==Known space elevators== | ==Known space elevators== | ||
[[File:HR Alexandria Tethers.jpg|thumb|250px|Three space elevators near New Alexandria on Reach.]] | [[File:HR Alexandria Tethers.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Three space elevators near New Alexandria on Reach.]] | ||
*[[Arcadia]] | *[[Arcadia]] | ||
**Three space elevators<ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 12''</ref> | **Three space elevators<ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 12''</ref> | ||
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**[[Quito Space Tether]] | **[[Quito Space Tether]] | ||
**[[Borneo Space Tether]] | **[[Borneo Space Tether]] | ||
** | **One other unidentified space elevator{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}}{{Ref/Reuse|bnet}} | ||
**An elevator near [[Zanzibar Island]] (post-war)<ref>''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'', multiplayer map [[Stonetown]]</ref> | **An elevator near [[Zanzibar Island]] (post-war)<ref>''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'', multiplayer map [[Stonetown]]</ref> | ||
**[[Luna]] has at least one elevator | **[[Luna]] has at least one elevator | ||
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*[[Reach]] | *[[Reach]] | ||
**A total of nine space elevators.{{Ref/Reuse|evg reach}} | **A total of nine space elevators.{{Ref/Reuse|evg reach}} | ||
**The [[Delphi Triple-Strand Network]] was three of the nine tethers clustered in a single area near [[New Alexandria (location)|New Alexandria]]<ref>'''[[:File:Reach E310 Firefight Beachhead03.jpg]]'''</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVTHwwCjKLk '''YouTube''': ''E3 2010 Firefight 2.0 Beachhead Gameplay '']</ref> | |||
*[[Vodin]] | *[[Vodin]] | ||
