Which equatorial country should get a space elevator?

[Cutlass]

Putting it on the top of a mountain seems a bit silly.

That's why I want a high plateau instead of a peak....

 

[Silurian]

Well some nice telescopes have been built near the top of mountains.
It would be more expensive to build there, how much would depend on the mountain.

If you do not put the base near the top of a mountain on a tower or on a skyscraper you would have it at sea because of the wind induced deflections of the cable.

 

[eduhum]

The Canary Islands is best! On top of Teide mountain!

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Not equatorial enough.

 

[LamaGT]

Yeah but it's quite difficult building anything on top of a mountain already, let alone a 400km high lift.

24000km*

 

[Silurian]

24000km*

Change lifts at that height.

 

[Crezth]

Are you saying the earliest Anglo-Saxons were civilized or are you saying the Romans in Britain were civilized?

Either way I'd say your assertion is rather...*ahem* disputable.

ho ho ho historians do know how to tell a good joke

 

[Winner]

The question should stand more like "Where should a space elevator be anchored", since it will be like from the orbit -> down.

But anyway, my vote goes for São Tomé and Príncipe. Very close to Africa, so it would probably stimulate development of the countries along the Gulf of Guinea (and reduce the cost of menial labour in its construction), reasonably close to Europe, North America, and South America, almost perfect equatorial location, and it is a small island nation (easy to move in goods to be lifted to space, unlikely to shut down the elevator for imbecilic political reasons - and even if it does, it is small enough to be "persuaded" to reopen it very quickly).

Of course, Space Elevators don't have to be anchored exactly on the equator, and there can be more than one.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

I can see why Uganda would be suboptimal, seeing as it's not on the coast. But what's the problem with Gabon?

 

[Darkwind]

It really should be built in the ocean, somewhere with minimal waves and far from earth quake.

The first elevator probably cannot be built over land, just imagine what an earthquake will do to it. Imagine somewhere 2000km high in the sky, the cable broke/ someone fall down.....

Building it on ocean also gives you the option of having some small adjustment to the location when needed.

Security is also much better on the sea, the success rate of terrorist action towards it will be much lower.

It can be tied to the ocean floor and stabilize on a ocean platform, just like oil rigs.

 

[El_Machinae]

I'm still under the impression that the carbon nanotubes might not even be theoretically possible. There's just too few modern synopses

 

[Silurian]

It really should be built in the ocean, somewhere with minimal waves and far from earth quake.

The first elevator probably cannot be built over land, just imagine what an earthquake will do to it. Imagine somewhere 2000km high in the sky, the cable broke/ someone fall down.....

Building it on ocean also gives you the option of having some small adjustment to the location when needed.

Security is also much better on the sea, the success rate of terrorist action towards it will be much lower.

It can be tied to the ocean floor and stabilize on a ocean platform, just like oil rigs.

Waves travel hundreds of miles from a storm and everywhere on earth gets earth quakes.

We do not know what would happen if the cable broke. It could wrap its way around the earth, so being at see could make little difference.

Terrorists can use ships. There is freedom of navigation of the sea so any ship could sail very close to the base.

 

[ArneHD]

Sri Lanka, gravity is slightly weaker than would be expected and it is fairly close to the equator.

 

[Angst]

Why not Indonesia?

People say Brazil because it's "relatively stable", but with my limited knowledge, isn't Indonesia stable-r?

 

[bhsup]

Is equatorial necessary or just preferred?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Makes for a simpler poll.

People say Brazil because it's "relatively stable", but with my limited knowledge, isn't Indonesia stable-r?

Brazil's closer to North America and Europe. Might be a reason.

 

[Perfection]

Kenya 'cause Obama.

 

[Mise]

Is equatorial necessary or just preferred?

Makes for a simpler poll.

You need it above the equator for a geostationary orbit, right?

 

[Silurian]

The cable does not have to be vertical.
The wind would stop that anyway.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

You need it above the equator for a geostationary orbit, right?

Yes, but it can be close, not necessarily on the equator. I hear figures up to 4-20 degrees.