The Spaceline: a practical space elevator alternative achievable with current technology

TL;DR

The paper proposes the Spaceline, a practical space transportation cable extending from the Moon to near Earth's geostationary orbit, using current technology to reduce space travel costs.

Contribution

It introduces a novel space elevator alternative, the Spaceline, anchored on the Moon and extending towards Earth, feasible with existing materials.

Findings

Feasible construction of a Spaceline cable with current materials.

Allows easy traversal between Earth and Moon.

Provides a cost-effective space transportation solution.

Abstract

Perhaps the biggest hurdle to mankind's expansion throughout the Solar System is the prohibitive cost of escaping Earth's gravitational pull. In its many forms, the space-elevator provides a way to circumvent this cost, allowing payloads to traverse along a cable extending from Earth to orbit. However, modern materials are not strong enough to build a cable capable of supporting its own weight. In this work we present an alternative to the classic space elevator, within reach of modern technology: The Spaceline. By extending a line, anchored on the moon, to deep within Earth's gravity well, we can construct a stable, traversable cable allowing free movement from the vicinity of Earth to the Moon's surface. With current materials, it is feasible to build a cable extending to close to the height of geostationary orbit, allowing easy traversal and construction between the Earth and the Moon.