Space elevator: Difference between revisions

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==Safety==
==Safety==
[[File:CirciniusIV attacked1.jpg|thumb|250px|right|A [[SDV-class 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>


If the orbital counterweight is destroyed or the tether is cut near the top, the whole cable will fall, usually wrapping itself around the planet; a space elevator would be able to wrap itself around the Earth at least two times. This happened to Harvest's elevator system when [[Loki]] destroyed the [[Tiara]] station with a [[mass driver]]. The [[Centennial Orbital Elevator]] on Earth also collapsed due to the destruction of [[Station Wayward Rest]] on top of it.
If the orbital counterweight is destroyed or the tether is cut near the top, the whole cable will fall, usually wrapping itself around the planet; a space elevator would be able to wrap itself around the Earth at least two times. This happened to Harvest's elevator system when [[Loki]] destroyed the [[Tiara]] station with a [[mass driver]]. The [[Centennial Orbital Elevator]] on Earth also collapsed due to the destruction of [[Station Wayward Rest]] on top of it.


If the tether is cut halfway up, the upper portion will rise up and remain in orbit while the lower part will drape around the planet. The same will occur if the tether breaks quarter way up. In case the break occurs at or near the anchor point on the planet surface, the whole tether will rise upward and end up in an unstable orbit around the planet. New Mombasa's orbital elevator was cut several hundred meters above the ground anchor due to the damage caused to it by a [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] rupture backlash. Similarly, the space elevator of [[Corbulo Academy of Military Science]] was severed near the anchor by a [[SDV-class heavy corvette|Covenant corvette]]'s [[pulse laser turret|pulse laser]].{{Ref/Reuse|fud}}
If the tether is cut halfway up, the upper portion will rise up and remain in orbit while the lower part will drape around the planet. The same will occur if the tether breaks quarter way up. In case the break occurs at or near the anchor point on the planet surface, the whole tether will rise upward and end up in an unstable orbit around the planet. New Mombasa's orbital elevator was cut several hundred meters above the ground anchor due to the damage caused to it by a [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] rupture backlash. Similarly, the space elevator of [[Corbulo Academy of Military Science]] was severed near the anchor by a [[Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette|Covenant corvette]]'s [[pulse laser turret|pulse laser]].{{Ref/Reuse|fud}}


Due to the safety concerns, tether cities are almost always designed with the possibility of a catastrophe in mind. The cities are often compartmentalized into multiple symmetrical sections, to minimize the death toll and property damage in case anything were to happen to the elevator.<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''', "[[Palace Hotel]]", ''page 366''</ref>
Due to the safety concerns, tether cities are almost always designed with the possibility of a catastrophe in mind. The cities are often compartmentalized into multiple symmetrical sections, to minimize the death toll and property damage in case anything were to happen to the elevator.<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''', "[[Palace Hotel]]", ''page 366''</ref>


==Known space elevators==
==Known space elevators==
[[File:HR_Alexandria_Tethers.jpg|thumb|250px|right|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>