Beanstalk
A Beanstalk is also known as a Space elevator, Orbital elevator, or Orbital beanstalk. It is a TL-9 macro-engineering project involving an ultra-strong ribbon cable extending from the surface to geostationary orbit, with a second cable extending several thousand km beyond to form a counter-balance. The entire structure is under tension, balanced between the gravity from the lower end and centrifugal force at the upper end.
Beanstalks are an expensive infrastructure, making gravitics much cheaper and more convenient. Beanstalks likely exist where gravitic technology is lost or unknown.
Description[edit]
Driving up and down the cable are elevator cars, carrying passengers and cargo. At the balance point an orbital station is constructed for space access to the passengers and cargo.
Not every world is capable of supporting a beanstalk. Worlds with more than 1G surface gravity are too massive for the cables to be supported correctly. Tide locked worlds, or worlds with too long or too short of a rotational period make construction of a beanstalk a larger engineering challenge.
Gravitics is far cheaper than beanstalks for orbital space access. For civilizations which lack gravitics, the beanstalk is the cheapest alternative.
History and background[edit]
n/a
Worlds and sectors[edit]
These Megastructures are rare in Charted Space, since gravitics is so common.
World Listing: 1116[edit]
The following systems and worlds are associated with these Megastructures:
References and contributors[edit]
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