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From carbon nanotubes to multi-layered graphene, we explore the revolutionary materials that could turn space elevators from sci-fi dreams into real-world infrastructure. Discover how these supermaterials might let us weave ribbons to the stars.
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Credits:
Materials For Space Elevators – From Carbon Nanotubes To Graphene And Beyond…
Episode 741; July 24, 2025
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Edited by:
Adrian Nixon
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator
Chris Zabriskie, “Unfoldment, Revealment”, “A New Day in a New Sector”
Aerium, “Deijocht”
Stellardrone, “Red Giant”, “Billions and Billions”
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:09 The Vision of the Space Elevator
2:46 The Rope That Reaches the Sky
9:08 Manufacturing the Megastructure
12:58 Tether Design and Variants
19:57 PIA
21:52 Defects and Composites: Strength in Layers
22:48 Power and Payload
25:20 Safety, Scaling, and the Road Ahead