Luxembourg Globe--International Edition
February 17th, 2008
"A New Scientific Revolution": An Interview with Michael Laine, Founder of the LiftPort Group
LUXEMBOURG CITY: We caught up with Michael Laine in the Luxembourg City headquarters of the LiftPort Group for a brief conversation. The LiftPort Group, a private corporation devoted to the construction of a "space elevator," has been the talk of the city since the surprise announcement last October that it was relocating here from the USA.
What, exactly, is a space elevator, and why is it useful?
A space elevator is a ribbon stretched from the surface of the earth to a counterweight in space. It is in what we call geosynchronous orbit, meaning that the cable will not move relative to the earth's surface. Objects and people will be able to be lifted up and down the cable into orbit and back again.
Quite simply, the space elevator has the potential to launch a new scientific revolution. It would reduce the cost of sending payloads into space by a factor of 50, from around 34,000 Euros per kilogram to less than 700 Euros per kilogram. This would make it much cheaper to send satellites into space, greatly increasing the quality of telecommunications service. A nearly limitless source of clean energy would become available, as large solar arrays could collect power in orbit and beam it back to earth. And pharmaceuticals would improve, since centrifuges would not be limited by gravity. Finally, the space elevator would serve as a gateway to the solar system. Instead of having to launch probes and rockets with most of their bulk taken up by fuel, we could assemble spacecraft in space and propel them with a fraction of the energy.
How is it possible to build a cable strong enough for a space elevator?
For a long time, no one thought it was possible. But then, in 1991, carbon nanotubes, a substance over 100 times stronger than steel, were discovered. They are easily strong enough for the cable--in fact, the cable would only have to be a few centimeters wide. This particular aspect of the space elevator is extremely exciting, since it mixes nanotechnology with astrophysics. We're very close to being able to mass produce nanotubes on a large scale.
If a space elevator is built, won't it be a target for a terrorist attack?
It's important to know that we plan to build more than one space elevator. Once the first one is built, it will be much cheaper to build a second, and then even more. Also, space elevators will be isolated--we plan to build the first one in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. As a result, relatively few casualties will result from an attack. Finally, it's nearly impossible for the terrorists to break a cable more than 15 kilometers above the Earth's surface. And the cable itself will continue to orbit, in the same position as before, since it is anchored from space. It will not break up or crash to the ground. It would be extremely easy to reconnect the cable by slightly lowering the counterweight in orbit. So a terrorist attack is both unlikely and ineffective.
Why did you move LiftPort to Luxembourg?
We were made an offer by the government that we couldn't refuse. NASA had just drastically slashed our funding, forcing us to push back our goal date for the completion of a space elevator. On the other hand, the ESA has greatly increased funding, and they're more open to the idea of a space elevator. We were attracted to Luxembourg in particular because they have some of the best materials scientists in the world. We've been partnering with the steel companies to develop our nanotube furnace, which we hope to complete soon. Finally, (laughs), the free high-speed internet didn't hurt!
Thank you for your time.
Thank you.