Space Elevators

[Kagame]

Space elevators are, well, elevators to space. What happens is that an asteroid is captured to use as a counterweight and put into a stable geostationary orbit, then a specialized lander runs a huge (massive! think Kerbodyne fuel tank size!) spool of what's called carbon nanotubes back to the Earth (Kerbin), where it is fixed to the ground. A car is then sent that can go up and down the CNT rope. Since carbon nanotubes are incredibly strong, the payload is appreciable, varying from one to ten tons. Just think of what one of these babies would do for your high-level space program: no more having three-quarters of your rocket be fuel! Fill that space with: fuel for the return journey! IRSU reactors! Science labs! I'd also suggest having varying levels of payload capacity. Perhaps new motors that each pull 1.5 tons each, simply, and instead of Launching your new rocket or spaceplane, simply send it on up the tether. As in real life, the transit times would be pretty long, though- about a day to get something into LKO.

[Mecripp]

Really don't see how Space Elevators would ever work not to say if something went wrong and it all came back down but in all get your kerbal and alot of trusses and ladders and start building lol.

[John FX]

I think it will never happen in KSP. Apart from the technical issues, both in Rl and in-game, it would take away the main focus of the game, building and launching things.

[Legendary Emu]

Space elevators aren't that cool, and not kerbal enough (never thought I'd say that). I would rather have stuff get launched into space with a giant cannon or a big laser thing.

[John FX]

Space elevators aren't that cool, and not kerbal enough (never thought I'd say that). I would rather have stuff get launched into space with a giant cannon or a big laser thing.

Now that sounds cool.

[PringleMan]

KSP unloads parts after a certain distance to save on computer use. It is what allows you to both have a massive station AND a massive grand tour ship in the same persistance file.

What that means for building a space elevator is that game will die trying to figure out what to do with itself. It would simultaneously be trying to unload and keep loaded parts of the space elevator

[John FX]

I've just thought though, it could be done although it would be 'hacky'. You could use something like kerbal construction time to 'launch' a craft and after a couple of days it could be 'released' into orbit at an altitude higher than keostationary. Maybe 5Mm.

You wouldn't see the elevator and you would not be able to target or control the craft until 'release' but the core function would be there.

Or just download hyperedit and put them there manually if it's what you'd like.

[hab136]

How about a ground-launched Mass Driver?

Change the model and it could be a space elevator.