Optimal Inflatable Space Towers with 3-100 km Height

A. Bolonkin (2003), JBIS, 56, 87-97

Refcode: 2003.56.87

Abstract:
The idea of building a tower high above the Earth into the heavens is very old [1]. The writings of Moses, about 1450 BC, in his book Genesis, Chapter 11, refer to an early civilization that in about 2100 BC tried to build a tower to heaven out of brick and tar. This construction was called the Tower of Babel, and was reported to be located in Babylon in ancient Mesopotamia. Later in Chapter 28, about 1900 BC, Jacob had a dream about a staircase or ladder built to heaven. This construction was called Jacob’s Ladder. More contemporary writings on the subject date back to K.E. Tsiolkovski in his manuscript “Speculation about Earth and Sky and on Vesta,” published in 1895 [2]. This idea inspired Sir Arthur Clarke to write his novel, The Fountains of Paradise [3], about a space tower (elevator) located on a fictionalized Sri Lanka, which brought the concept to the attention of the entire world.