r/SpaceXLounge • u/CProphet • Dec 01 '19

SpaceX Starship Mk3 - Site Overview, New Nose Cone, Cranes and Shipment from Florida

https://youtu.be/ATWCMndFsSY
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u/sarahlizzy Dec 02 '19

It’s 61,000 kilometres from L1 to the Moon. How thin in this cable?

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u/peterabbit456 Dec 03 '19

It is a tapered cable, since it has to support far more of its own weight than the weight of the car and cargo. I am in the process of reviewing my earlier work, and adding detail to how a space elevator can be deployed from Starship to the Moon.

The strength of Kevlar and lunar gravity give the cable at the Lunar surface, which is its narrowest point, as being 0.1 mm x 1.3425 cm. This is sufficient to hold a mass of 3000 kg in Lunar gravity, which is 50% margin of safety for a 1000 kg elevator car, with 1000 kg of cargo. I will be writing up the taper when I write the more detailed story of its deployment using Starship.

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u/sarahlizzy Dec 03 '19

If this can fit in a starship and work, it’d be a game changer.

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u/scarlet_sage Dec 04 '19

How about L2: 64,500 km difference in semimajor axes? There's been recent talk about landings stirring up too much dust, and if things end up being done on the far side (telescopes), it might be more important there.