Elevator is one of the technologies that people are blissful to have as the hectic task of walking a trail of stairs is completely bargained. Thus, imagine having an elevator that can get one to the Moon with just a button press. This may sound crazy but there are scientists who have started thinking over bringing this idea to reality in the next few years. The astronomers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Columbia believe to have found a feasible alternative. The materials like Zylon, which is a polymer carbon, could help make a tower or cable that can stretch up to the surface of the Moon right from the Earth’s geostationary orbit instead of being attached to our planet.
The researchers confirm that the elevator will be made at a distance from the Earth that is approximately 362,000 Kilometers from the Moon so as to avoid any collision with the satellites present in space. The trip to the Moon would, thus, have the distance between the two planets and the use of space cables plus the consideration of solar propulsion to move through cable to Lagrange points as the vital aspects. The scientists find constructing such a structure possible using the present technologies. The cable would be made the size of a pencil lead and anchored on the Moon using a billion dollars budget. The project may sound inspiring but the problems like balance and other safety issues for the spacecraft may pose problems.
On a similar note, a San Francisco-based startup LifeShip is planning to have a pyramid build on the Moon to store the DNA of every plant and creature on Earth. This unique idea is still in the early stage yet the company is adamant on having the genetic code flown to the lunar surface by 2021. They have already started a page to help people or organizations reserve a place for themselves.
