New Study Suggests Connecting Earth And Moon With Cosmic Zip Line

A pair of researchers have suggested creating a zip line between Earth and the Moon for a more practical way to transport people and supplies to the lunar surface. According to their study, their proposal about creating a Spaceline is like an improved version of the Space Elevator.

Through a new study submitted by astronomy graduate students Zephyr Penoyre and Emily Sandford from the U.S. and the U.K., they proposed the idea of connecting Earth and the Moon using a transportation system that’s very similar to a zip line.

The study by Penoyre and Sandford has been submitted for publication to the journal Acta Astronautica.

According to the researchers, this system, known as the Spaceline, involves anchoring high-tensile strength cables on the surface of the Moon and connecting it to Earth’s gravity well. The researchers believe this concept would significantly reduce the cost of sending payloads and astronauts to the Moon since it would eliminate the use of conventional rockets.

The concept of the Spaceline is similar to the Space Elevator, a proposed transportation system that dates back to 1895. Similar to Spaceline, the Space Elevator also involves attaching cables to the Moon and Earth. It relies on gravity and centrifugal force to pull the cargo upward and downward the cable.

Unfortunately, the proposed system and materials for the development of the Space Elevator are beyond the limits of physics and engineering. The Spaceline, on the other hand, can be constructed using readily available materials. Also, the researchers noted that the concept behind it is more practical and realistic compared to the Space Elevator.

“The classical Space Elevator is, sadly, currently a physical impossibility,” Penoyre told Universe Today. “There are fundamental limits on the material strength and tough carbon nanotubes (and other even more exotic materials) could be sufficiently strong, research on their mass-production and use [are] in its infancy.”

“The necessary strength of the material [of Spaceline] is much lower than an Earth-based elevator – and thus it could be built from fibers that are already mass-produced,” the researcher added. “The Spaceline also avoids the region of space where collisions are most likely, can be deployed relatively cheaply and easily and is more stable.”