Part of UC#4’s vision for 2124 involves a Space Elevator.
How will a space elevator benefit the humanity of 2124?
Greatly reduced cost of getting stuff into space (from current $5,500/lb to a WLBOTT estimate of $5/lb)
Extremely cheap geocentric satellite deployment, with all the benefits that will bring humanity – ecological monitoring, communication, research, exploration, tourism, an accessible “space economy”, retirement/rehabilitation communities for those whose bodies are crushed by gravity
cheap Zero-G manufacturing – breakthroughs in everything from pharmaceuticals to nano technology
geocentric solar farms to deliver earth-side power
With a space elevator, materials might be sent into orbit at a fraction of the current cost. As of 2022, conventional rocket designs cost about US$12,125 per kilogram (US$5,500 per pound) for transfer to geostationary orbit. Current space elevator proposals envision payload prices starting as low as $220 per kilogram ($100 per pound), similar to the $5–$300/kg estimates of the Launch loop, but higher than the $310/ton to 500 km orbit quoted to Dr. Jerry Pournelle for an orbital airship system.
We’ll have a lot more to say about the space elevator in the days to come, but in a nutshell….
A space elevator is conceived as a cable fixed to the equator and reaching into space. A counterweight at the upper end keeps the center of mass well above geostationary orbit level. This produces enough upward centrifugal force from Earth’s rotation to fully counter the downward gravity, keeping the cable upright and taut. Climbers carry cargo up and down the cable.
Wikipedia / Image by By Skyway and User:Booyabazooka
Site Selection
The WLBOTT El Ascensor Espacial Especial site selection team (I’m the only one who showed up) has selected Quito, Ecuador.
Advantages
On the Equator
High elevation / 70% improvement in solar panel output
Buffet-rich environment
Proximity to large harbors
Proximity to the Panama Canal
Mild weather
Quito is one of the world’s most affordable cities
It is the country closest to outer space.
Official currency: US Dollar
Quito is located about 116 miles from the Pacific coast.
Quito’s altitude is too high for malaria transmission.
Quito’s is a combination of two Tsafiki words: quitso (“center”) + to (“the world”); roughly translating as “center of the world.”
Access to large quantities of bananas: Ecuador is the world’s largest banana exporter (4 million tonnes, $3.5B). I believe “world’s largest banana” refers to quantity of bananas, not size.
Ecuador’s nickname is the “country of four worlds”
Proximity to World’s Highest Go Kart Track [1]
Disadvantages
Earthquakes
Mountains – lots of them
A bit cloudy
Active Volcanoes
The Elevator / El Ascensor Espacial Especial
Capital improvements include:
Base Station
Warehouses / Space Customs
Housing
Port Enlargement
Local Transportation / Infrastructure Enhancements
Energy generation
Security
More about Quito
Quito’s elevation of 2,850 m (9,350 ft) makes it either the highest or the second highest capital city in the world.
The fact that Quito lies almost on the equator means that high pressure systems are extremely rare. Pressure is stable, so very low pressure systems are also rare. From 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 the lowest pressure recorded was 998.2 hPa (29.48 inHg), and the highest was 1,015.2 hPa (29.98 inHg). Despite the absence of high pressure, Quito can still experience settled weather. Generally, the highest pressure is around midnight and the lowest in the mid-afternoon.
[ed. note: in a one year measurement period, the pressure only varied by 0.5″ Hg.]
Crime may be a concern in Quito, but your chances of being insulted are fairly low. (Source)
Ceviche – The Spanish Sushi
Large Quantities of Ceviche in Quito
Cevicheology – the Study of Ceviche
Ceviche is a dish consisting of fish or shellfish marinated in citrus and seasonings, recognized by UNESCO as an expression of Peruvian traditional cuisine and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity[2], although different versions of ceviche are part of the culinary culture of various Spanish-American countries along the Pacific Ocean where each one is native: Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru. In Peru it is also considered a flagship dish and cultural heritage.
The fish is typically cured in lemon or sour lime juice, although sour orange was historically used. The dressing also includes some local variety of chili pepper or chili, replaced by mustard in some locations in Central America. The meat is usually marinated together with sliced or chopped onion and served with chopped cilantro. In Mexico, tomato and avocado are also usually included, and the addition of tomato sauce is common except in Chile, Panama and Peru.
Etymology: [The word “Ceviche”] is ultimately from the unattested Middle Persian sikbāg.
[ed. note: the fish is raw, and ceviche should not be eaten on your honeymoon in Acapulco. sikbāg == sick bag ]
Health risks
Bad sanitary conditions in its preparation may lead to illness. Aside from contaminants, raw seafood can also be the vector for various pathogens, viral and bacterial, as well as larger parasitic creatures. According to the United States Food and Drug Administration and studies since 2009, specific microbial hazards in ceviche include Anisakis simplex, Diphyllobothrium spp., Pseudoterranova decipiens and Pseudoterranova cattani, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Anisakiasis is a zoonotic disease caused by the ingestion of larval nematodes in raw seafood dishes such as ceviche. The Latin American cholera outbreaks in the 1990s may have been attributed to the consumption of raw cholera-infested seafood that was eaten as ceviche.
[2] WLBOTT’s new aspiration: Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Restaurant in Quito
Images of Quito
Semi-Sequitur: The Virgin of El Panecillo
The Virgin of El Panecillo (in Spanish: Virgen del Panecillo), also known as the Virgin of Quito from the sculpture of the same name, is a monument in Quito, Ecuador. It is located on the top of the hill of El Panecillo, a loaf-shaped hill in the heart of the city and serves as a backdrop to the historic center of Quito.
By Cayambe – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
With a total height of 135 feet (41 meters) including the base, it is the highest statue in Ecuador and one of the highest in South America (taller than the Christ the Redeemer statue in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro). It is also the tallest aluminum statue in the world.
A close-up of the dragon at the feet of the Virgin of El Panecillo (it follows conventional depictions of the Woman of the Apocalypse). By Cayambe – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0Wikipedia
The Virgin of Quito – also known as the Virgin of the Apocalypse, Winged Virgin of Quito, Dancing Madonna, and Legarda’s Virgin — is a wooden sculpture by the Quiteño artist Bernardo de Legarda (ca. 1700-1773) which has become the most representative example of the Quito School of art, developed in the Ecuadorian capital during the Spanish colonial era.
The original 1734 work was conceived and commissioned as a Lady of the Immaculate Conception and is venerated at the altar of the Church and Convent of San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador.
The TelefériQo (from teleférico and Quito), or TelefériQo Cruz Loma, is a gondola lift in Quito, Ecuador, running from the edge of the city centre up the east side of Pichincha Volcano to lookout Cruz Loma. It is one of the highest aerial lifts in the world, rising from 3,117 m (10,226 ft) to 3,945 m (12,943 ft). The ascent takes about twenty minutes, traveling 2,237 linear metres.
By AndrewDressel – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
The visitor centre at the base includes the VulQano Park amusement park, restaurants and food court, the world’s highest go kart track, and other attractions.
Today’s adventure would take us to TelefériQo and Mitad Del Mundo. If you have been to Quito, you will know this is one if the highest cities in the world meaning that generally most humans entering it will get altitude sickness which is horrid. Safe to say, we both have it, albeit mildly. Our headaches are horrible, and it makes you feel constantly hungover. However, we hate staying in so after a great breaky we hopped in an Uber and headed to TelefériQo Cruz Loma.
