Back to my idea for a hot second. I total forgot about the space Elevator idea, but I always felt it counldn't be done. Then again with the weather balloons we use, and it's been shown they can lift a person safely, then why not use this as the start to getting people up to the edge of space. Then you can use a drone to fly around at that level to move the balloon to the life line, then up you go the rest of the way from that point. The drone can be on it's own balloon system, that way you can't use up a ton of fule to fly it around the 2nd balloon to move it around the area. This might be the start of any space Elevators in the early years. Might work but we still need to get the main piece up by rockets for now, then once we have the platform in orbit, you can do the space Elevator ideas.

Why move people into space?

Like it's been said:

1. Factory type production is one main plus.
2. Shuttles to other space stations in orbit from the platform
3. Launch point to the moon and or other planets
4. The Ultimate Sight Seeing location.

There is so much that can be done with this idea. If we use the money we waste every year, we could have been on the moon with a colony by now. Why put a colony there? Well that's a great spot to mine or even just make a hotel lol . I think it would be a great vacation spot.

This is actually a really interesting idea.

You could even pair weather balloons with reusable craft - something easier to build without the need for strong booster rockets to break through the stratosphere.

What could you mine on the moon thats possibly worth the shipping costs??

Top Gear found a cheap way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIwXtRQQQZc

Not mining, manufacturing. Low gravity, natural vacuum, no microbes, no atmosphere, much stronger solar energy - electronics, medical supplies and machinery come to mind.

How about this? (random idea incoming..it probably makes little sense on paper, but in my head it seems viable)

Take the standard space elevator idea but do it differently

First of all, create a tube to space composed like a double layered sock - essentially an inflatable rubber ring tube that uses air pressure to inflate and in turn become somewhat rigid (yet should it fall, do minimal damage - plus would be relatively simple to patch/replace..also the tube itself could be designed to tear apart into even less weighty sections, thus making it even safer)

Now here comes the idea I think would work well - has anyone seen that laser driven payload system nasa theorised a while back? (basically the laser pushes a curved parabolic mirror platform upwards) - now but this inside the tube (the inside coated with ptfe to reduce friction) with a massive laser mounted below using its own power plant (likely thorium or fusion) for power

Now as we know the atmosphere impedes a lasers performance due to air molecules, this is where the tube comes in - connected to space and a geosynchronised satellite (to hold it up with more stability) , you can remove the atmosphere in the tube to increase the lasers range and power, increasing its lifting capability further (and in theory the lasers radient heat could be converted into extra power generation to reduce power wastage)

As to returning, why use the elevator? just drop it through the atmosphere as normal - gravity is a far cheaper engine

(Regarding the platform, for safety the platform would be designed with parachutes/emergency lift balloons via helium - light and effective methods of preventing the platform falling with the tube, that has destructed around it in sections light enough to do little damage)

Laser propulsion was featured in Popular Science which is pretty "lolz". The system operates based on the same principle as a jet engine - using a laser to heat and expand air and thereby provide convective thrust - so the atmosphere is not an impediment but a necessary condition of the scheme.

Suffice it to say the notion is impractical because of the degree of inefficiency inherent in such a method of propulsion (power lost in the transition from fuel to electricity to laser to heated air to kinetic thrust) as well as the fact that developing the necessary technologies would by corollary make available more promising avenues - e.g., the development of sufficiently powerful lasers would also require nuclear fusion and superconductors, and thereby make a space elevator at least as attractive.

Already done mate, how much cash have you got and you can go into space yourself with out a rocket.

http://spaceportamerica.com/

Also the documentary of building the above is very interesting,

Part 1 (there is a full length you tube on it but I can't find it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4na1i9kJJI

While only the rich can use it at the moment given enough time and other space ports built the price should go down so every one can have ago well hopefully anyway.

What there is, is a tarmac in the desert. Nothing more, nothing less.

And even if that tarmac did what the hype says it is intended to do, it still relies on rockets to go up, and it still relies on methods that are inherently inefficient. There isn't enough fuel in the world for everyone to go up that way.

Private space launch is pure hype. Appeals to greed and wishful thinking won't make the difficult easy. Greed conjures up dreams of the free lunch and that is privatized space travel.

No - conquering a new frontier requires heroism and sacrifice...the least of which is opening our wallets a bit. Taxes. No one wants to pay them because they're unsexy but they are what opened the door to the moon and will continue to push forward should we find the will.

Huh?, the Spaceport Mothership is NOT a Rocket,

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=sp...w=1680&bih=899

While they are testing Rocket launches as well the main form of travel will be in the Mothership, The rockets are to do with the commercial side of things to create a private out let for business to use instead of paying NASA a small fortune to launch their satellites and what not.

Please research topics before making comments!