加拿大设计20公里长可充气通天塔使太空发射成本更低

20-Kilometer Inflatable Tower Could Make Space Launches Cheaper 加拿大设计20公里长可充气通天塔使太空发射成本更低

Launching space vehicles is still very costly¹ because booster rockets are not reusable. A space elevator could make it dramatically cheaper but we still do not have the material for the space cable that could lift such an elevator to a height that would eliminate the need for a booster rocket.

Canadian company Thoth Technologies won a U.S. patent for a different solution – an elevator encased within a 20-kilometer space tower that could bring people and vehicles much closer to outer space.

According to Thoth Technologies the elevator would run inside an inflatable tower. Launching space vehicles from its top would be much cheaper.

“We think it's realistic. We're looking to license² the patent to Google or Alphabet, SpaceX, Elon Musk³, maybe the European Space Agency, and we think that in three to five years a 1.5-kilometer prototype model - full-scale model - could be accomplished," said Ian Tomaszewski.

The company estimates that its elevator could carry 10 tons of cargo⁴ at approximately 11 kilometers per hour, reaching the top in about 60 minutes. From there passengers and cargo could easily reach the orbit and beyond.

There would be other opportunities too.

“Tourism is one. You'd have a great sight of the earth at 20 kilometers up, you'd see about 1,000 kilometers in any direction," said Tomaszewski.

Another idea being developed is a space elevator. A laser-powered car traveling along a ribbon made of strong and light nanotubes, stretched between Earth and a satellite in the geostationary orbit.

A number of experiments have been conducted but the biggest obstacle remains⁵: how to manufacture a 36,000-kilometer-long ribbon.

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

3 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

4 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。