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“This project is the most important technology we
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Beginning in 1982 a bold adventure
began to safely launch vehicles into low Earth orbit using nothing but
the vacuum of space. This simple concept raised global controversy and
experts are still arguing over the feasibility. One pioneering firm dared to
press on and build what some have called a "modern tower of Babel." Engineers at Maduko
simply call it: The
Space Tube.
The top of the Space Tube culminates in space- 129 miles above the surface of the Earth. Vehicles placed in the bottom of the Space Tube are sucked up through the tube and shot into space. A platform here serves as a docking station and maintenance base. Personnel stationed here also monitor the spacecraft exiting the launch tube.
The length of the 129-mile long tube is a reinforced Unobtanium® shell with an interior diameter of 21 feet. The upper stretches are fully surrounded by the emptiness of outer space.
Closer to Earth the atmosphere and gravity exert incredible forces on the tube. Helium-filled dirigibles carry some of the weight and act as buoys to stabilize the structure.
The base of the Space Tube is positioned under 65 feet of water in Lake Mead. Placing the opening underwater increases the differential pressure and assists the vehicle in gathering speed during the initial launch sequence. |