Chapter 66 Space Elevator_1

Lin Sen continued, "Have there been any news about the ETO in these years?"

Wang Miao, "There hasn't been any news from them in the past few years. It seems like they're all in hiding."

Lin Sen, "It's not that I'm afraid they'll emerge and cause trouble; what worries me is their silence. The longer they remain hidden, the more it indicates that they might be preparing for a major action.

They can't cause much harm to human society, but the right timing could indeed inflict damage on the Wallfacer."

Wang Miao, "Do you have any plans for what to do next?"

Lin Sen, "First I'll get up to speed on the changes in the human world over the past few years, then I'll wake up Logic."

...

A week later, Logic, who had awakened and fully recovered, left the Hibernation Base with Lin Sen. Typically, one could completely recover from such hibernation awakenings in just a day or two.

Their first stop was the base of the space elevator, where they were ready to ride the space elevator up into the sky.

Looking at this magnificent structure, Lin Sen was also deeply shocked. The towering elevator seemed as if it was designed to break through the shackles of human fate.

What they saw was the first phase of the space elevator project, featuring four space cables.

The space cables here were more accurately space belts, being about 4 millimeters thick and 25 centimeters wide on average.

Using belts allowed for better material savings, since the pull each segment of the cable had to withstand at different altitudes varied; there was no point in using uniformly wide cables throughout. Additionally, the belt shape made it easier for the cabins to climb.

The corners of the cabin were fixed to the space belts, and the cabin climbed upwards using an adhesive crawler-style support bracket, with a top speed of 500 kilometers per hour. If the second and third phases of the space elevator construction were completed, the speed could still be increased.

Entering space took three days. The cabin's power source came from lasers on the ground. The bottom of the cabin was equipped with a laser receiving device, which could convert light energy into electrical energy, thereby providing a continuous power supply for the cabin.

Lasers were used instead of electrical cables (conductive layers could also be added to nanomaterials), because wireless power transmission technology was becoming more advanced. In the future, it would be entirely feasible to change laser power transmission to wireless transmission. Adding conductive layers in the belts was possible, but the work would be exceedingly extensive.

Every set distance, there was a support bracket that wrapped around the four belts, fixed in place like a sleeve with both ends connecting to the belts. When the cabin passed, one end of the sleeve would invariably be fixed to the belts.

This type of support sleeve served multiple purposes:

The first was to reduce vibrations. Even minor vibrations would feel intense after traveling a long distance.

The second was to enhance the stability of the space elevator, increase its ability to resist impacts, and also reduce the risk of the belts snapping.

The third was to install high-precision sensors and controllers in the support brackets to monitor and control the space elevator's position and posture in real-time.

After the third phase was completed, the space elevator's stability and precision could be maintained by adjusting the tension of the belts and the rotation speed of the cabin motors, among other things.

The support brackets, therefore, required materials that were both high in strength and light in weight; thankfully, humans had such materials.

If the second and third phases of the project were completed, all the cabin's cable support brackets would need to be interconnected to form a support ring.

In fact, from a distance, the space elevator was barely visible due to the near-white color of the belts. What one could see were the sections of the support brackets hanging in the sky, like steps reaching straight into the clouds.

Logic and Lin Sen followed the staff to the cabin. Though it was called a 'cabin', it looked more like a train compartment that was standing on end.

The cabin was huge, nearly 20 meters tall with a length and width of 8 meters each.

The size of the cabin had been a joint research effort, ultimately deciding on the most appropriate dimensions. In the future, large equipment would need to be transported into space for construction projects, so enough transport space had to be reserved.

Actually, these had been deliberated by all parties four years earlier, and humanity had entered an era of major space construction. Currently, humans were mainly establishing various ports in space, initially transporting a lot of equipment into space. Once production conditions in space become sufficient, the main focus would be on transporting resources and raw materials.

The cabin was divided into multiple layers, with the passenger area on the top layer and a larger cargo area in the middle layers.

Under the guidance of the staff, Logic and Lin Sen donned protective suits, a new outcome from Zhuang Yu that was extremely lightweight and even allowed for short periods of exposure in space.

The actual space operations utilized Aerospace Exoskeleton Armor. The final model was confirmed two years ago, and now they were being produced in large quantities every day.

After getting seated, the chair tilted back 120 degrees. Looking sideways through the window, one could see the outside, although the window was relatively small.

Next to each seat was a helmet. Even though the cabin could ensure everyone's safety in space, in case of an emergency, protective suits and helmets would be necessary.

The cabin began to accelerate, quickly reaching a speed of 500 kilometers per hour. The base of the space elevator was nearly a kilometer tall, and the cabin had just left the base when it reached its top speed.

The gravity acceleration load wasn't that great; it just felt like a slight push against the back. Riding the space elevator was rather leisurely; the three-day and three-night journey allowed for sleep and other activities.

The three-day journey concluded, and by this time, the seat had rotated to the top of the cabin.

Actually, the Geostationary Space Station of the space elevator wasn't strictly in a synchronous orbit but was positioned a bit higher. At this height, one could feel a bit of "microgravity" that was not directed towards Earth but outward.

This microgravity wasn't due to Earth's gravity but was caused by centrifugal force. Under the effect of the weak centrifugal force, one would naturally fall quickly to the top of the cabin, with the ceiling becoming the floor one would tread on.

In many science fiction works, the space elevator station has Earth visible below, which is incorrect, unless artificial gravity is mastered or centrifugal force is generated by rotating a large wheel.

Now you had to lift your head to see Earth, and this sight would deeply astonish you while also instilling a subtle fear—a giant blue sphere loomed over your head.

Extremely large, and with arms outstretched, it appeared in your vision about the size of your two fists.

Science has proven that an object directly overhead appearing in your vision about the size of your two fists can induce the strongest effects of megalophobia.

Space is far more terrifying than we imagine; without the Trisolaris crisis, Earth might not build this path to the universe for another 200 years.

If one were in a space station 200 kilometers from Earth, Earth would fill your entire field of vision, and we couldn't even see the full span of a country.

In a space station 400 kilometers from Earth, Earth would take up 140 degrees of our field of view, and it feels like being embraced by Earth, which can cause a certain oppressive feeling.

As the distance increases, the sense of oppression gradually transforms into fear, and it deepens, reaching a maximum between 30,000 and 60,000 kilometers.

As one moves further away, this feeling of fear also fades; looking at Earth from the Moon does not evoke any terror.

Looking down reveals the cosmic starry sky; the pitch-black expanse below, as if harboring monstrous beasts, seems ready to swallow you up at any moment.

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The design of the space elevator here differs from the one in the original Trisolaris novel, closer to that seen in the movie The Wandering Earth, but there are still differences. Personally, I think this space elevator design is more reasonable.

The space elevator in the original had guide rails that were 60 centimeters wide, and cylindrical cargo compartments that would climb up the rails, a structure with too poor stability and low transportation capacity.

For those who are interested, join me in imagining what the space elevator might look like, and you're also welcome to criticize the space elevator—that is the fun of science fiction!