Since it was stripped of planetary status, Pluto’s defenders have been fighting the decision – and they’re only getting more passionate
  • _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    6·
    19 hours ago

    Space is really huge and it might be possible that the theoretical space elevator would never strike another celestial body.

    This is 100% speculative and I have absolutely not done any fact checking other than the fact that space is indeed, really Big McLargeHuge.

    • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
      5·
      16 hours ago

      searches

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_locking

      However, if both the difference in mass between the two bodies and the distance between them are relatively small, each may be tidally locked to the other; this is the case for Pluto and Charon

      They’re apparently tidally-locked, so that’s one issue out of the way.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon_(moon)

      Periapsis: 19 592.61 km

      Apoapsis: 19 598.92 km

      Eccentricity: 0.000161[10]

      So it’s pretty close to a circular orbit.

      Orbital period: (6 d, 9 h, 17 m)

      But it’d still have to change length by about 6 km every 3 Earth days.

      • Tiresia@slrpnk.net
        3·
        16 hours ago

        But it’d still have to change length by about 6 km every 3 Earth days.

        Maybe this is crazy, but make it a giant jumprope. When they’re closer together, the jumprope makes a tighter circle and spins faster. When they’re further apart, the jumprope makes a larger circle. Put a weight in the middle so it has enough centripetal force to keep the rope taut.

        Trust me, it works, I thought about it for two minutes.

      • ToastedRavioli@midwest.social
        1·
        15 hours ago

        If humanity ever were to have the means to build a 12.2k mile or 19.7k km elevator in space between two planets at the far reach of the solar system, I would assume that we would also be capable of somehow making it longer