Pourquoi Construire Une Tour Vers l’Espace Finirait En Catastrophe

Sympa

Construire une tour jusqu'à l'espace semble être le rêve ultime de science-fiction, mais en réalité, ce serait un désastre total. Tout d'abord, le poids même des matériaux serait impossible à supporter—elle s'effondrerait sous son propre poids avant même de s'approcher de l'espace. Ensuite, il y a le fait que la Terre tourne, donc tout ce qui s'élève droit vers le haut devrait faire face à des forces insensées qui le tireraient de côté. Même si nous parvenions d'une manière ou d'une autre à la construire, les conditions météorologiques, comme les ouragans ou les tremblements de terre, la déchireraient en un rien de temps. Et n'oublions pas les débris spatiaux—de minuscules morceaux de déchets filant à des vitesses folles pourraient déchiqueter la structure comme des confettis.  Animation créée par Sympa. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Musique par Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com   Pour ne rien perdre de Sympa, abonnez-vous!: https://goo.gl/6E4Xna​ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nos réseaux sociaux : Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sympasympacom/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sympa.officiel/  Stock de fichiers (photos, vidéos et autres): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Si tu en veux encore plus, fais un tour ici:  http://sympa-sympa.com

Transcript

00:00In the science fiction film Ad Astra, the astronaut Roy McBride was amazed.

00:05He contemplates the Earth from the top of a colossal space tower.

00:08An unexpected event knocks McBride down from his perch and throws him into the abyss.

00:13While everything seems lost, a parachute arises.

00:16It slows his descent and allows him to survive.

00:19Well, it's all very beautiful.

00:21But you may be wondering if such a tower could one day become a reality?

00:25Could we create a structure that reaches space?

00:28Well, in fact, yes, it's possible.

00:31Let's see how.

00:33First of all, let's address the question of height.

00:36It is quite difficult to draw a clear line between Earth and space.

00:40However, most scientists agree that this unreachable frontier

00:45is located somewhere between 80 and 96 km above the surface.

00:51Unfortunately, building a column in the direction of space

00:55would be a disaster.

00:58Do you remember how disappointing it was?

01:00The EgoBankal tower collapses under its own weight

01:03and the bricks scatter in all directions.

01:06If it's a disaster for a child, imagine what it would be on a large scale.

01:10It is therefore not by building a fluid tower that we will succeed.

01:14We must show creativity.

01:16For example, why not build a majestic pyramid towards the stars?

01:20We already know that pyramids are capable of traversing the millennia.

01:24A solid base that shrinks to the top.

01:27That's exactly what we need, isn't it?

01:31But moderate your enthusiasm.

01:33Even if we miraculously managed to build such a high pyramid,

01:38there would still be a problem.

01:40Our humble Earth would certainly suffer under the weight of such a massive structure.

01:45Let's take a look at the layers of our Earth.

01:48We will try to peel its surface like an onion.

01:51First of all, we have the crust.

01:53A thin crusty layer that covers the planet,

01:56with an average depth of 27 km.

01:59It is at its surface that we build our cities,

02:01that we climb majestic mountains

02:04and that we dig to find hidden treasures.

02:06Under this layer is the mantle, which is hot and dynamic.

02:10There, we find turbulent currents and rocks dancing a flaming tango.

02:14This is where things get interesting.

02:17If we built an extremely high pyramid that would reach space,

02:21its weight would exert great pressure on the surface of the Earth.

02:25And since the crust and the mantle are not very resistant,

02:28they would begin to sink under the effect of this pressure.

02:31All this would cause a kind of depression or pit on the surface of the planet.

02:36Imagine now that this happens over a very long period.

02:40We are talking about thousands of years.

02:42The relentless weight of our pyramid would continue to weigh on the Earth,

02:46causing its surface to sink more and more deeply.

02:50It wouldn't be nice to see, would it?

02:52And let's not forget the most important thing.

02:54The Earth's mantle is the engine of geological activity.

02:58It is at the origin of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions

03:02and the impetuous movement of tectonic plates.

03:05So you can imagine what would happen if we disturbed it.

03:08Especially with a huge pyramid.

03:11This could lead to serious disasters.

03:13Thus, even if having a structure of such height would be incredibly cool,

03:18we must take into account the limits of our planet.

03:21But hey, that's why scientists are still finding new ingenious ideas.

03:26Physicists have therefore imagined another solution that reverses the concept of the tower.

03:31A ribbon.

03:33Yes, you heard right.

03:35Imagine a ribbon that would gracefully float on the Earth's orbit,

03:39and whose end would slowly descend to the surface.

03:42Instead of flying on a rocket,

03:44explorers would just have to climb this structure.

03:47This crazy concept is known as the Space Elevator.

03:51It is not very new.

03:53A visionary scientist had the intuition in the 1800s.

03:56Since then, this incredible idea has been used in countless science fiction stories and films.

04:02But here's the best part of it all.

04:05Some scientists take this idea seriously.

04:08However, this elevator would have to go a little over 9,600 meters,

04:13of about 96,000 kilometers.

04:15Yes, that's right.

04:17It would have to extend over a quarter of the distance that separates the Earth from the Moon.

04:22This is what we call aiming for the stars.

04:25Now imagine a gigantic ribbon spinning gracefully around our planet,

04:29like an acrobat.

04:31At one of its ends, the ribbon remains perfectly still,

04:35positioned in orbit above a fixed point on Earth.

04:38It's as if you were watching a magic trick with a stone tied to a string.

04:43Just as the stone undergoes a force that pulls it outward,

04:47the Space Elevator would defy gravity and remain suspended.

04:51But we are not at the end of our emotions.

04:54At the other end of this incredible elevator is a weight companion.

04:59Its role is to maintain the stability and solidity of the structure.

05:03It ensures that the elevator is well secured.

05:06The need for this weight depends on the weight and length of the cable used.

05:11It's about finding the perfect balance.

05:14All of this may seem completely crazy to you, and perhaps even useless.

05:18But wait to discover all the advantages of such an invention.

05:21At present, the International Space Elevator Consortium is working relentlessly

05:27to make this idea a reality.

05:29Why? Because a Space Elevator could revolutionize space travel,

05:34making it easier and more affordable than ever.

05:37Today, sending half a kilo of goods to the Moon costs an astronomical sum of $10,000.

05:43But if we had a Space Elevator, this cost could drop radically to only $100.

05:50Suddenly, the exploration of space and the transport of goods

05:54become much more accessible to everyone.

05:57This opens up a whole universe of possibilities.

06:00Imagine, you get on board a climber vehicle, ready to leave Earth.

06:04This climber clings to the ropes with wheels or ropes,

06:08like on a high-tech treadmill.

06:11You are now on a vertical railroad, ready to live a breathtaking experience.

06:16When the climber begins his ascent, you feel almost nothing.

06:21The climb is done gently, like in an ordinary elevator.

06:25But this is where the magic happens.

06:27When you look through the window, the anchor station,

06:31the point where the ribbon is connected to the Earth,

06:34slowly disappears from your field of vision.

06:36The adventure finally begins.

06:38The climber accelerates and slides on the ribbon at an incredible speed.

06:43Imagine yourself going at a speed between 160 and 320 km per hour.

06:49The outside view transforms under your eyes.

06:52You see clouds and hypnotic lightning.

06:55Discover the majestic curvature of our planet.

06:58You will even pass in front of the International Space Station

07:02and you will be able to greet other space explorers.

07:05But guess what?

07:07The pleasure does not stop there.

07:09The way the end of the elevator rotates creates an amazing opportunity.

07:14It can project you into distant worlds, like a space front.

07:18By letting go at the right time,

07:20you could be propelled to incredible destinations like the Moon,

07:24Mars or even the powerful Jupiter.

07:27As you can see, with a space elevator,

07:30the universe would become our playground.

07:33With endless possibilities of exploration and adventure.

07:37The biggest obstacle would be the length of the cable.

07:4096,500 km of pure engineering wonder.

07:44It would therefore be necessary to be of a solidity to any test

07:47to resist the gravitational forces and centrifuges.

07:51Ordinary steel would not be enough.

07:53This project would require an unimaginable amount.

07:56But do not be afraid.

07:58Physicists of genius have looked at a material of superheroes.

08:01Carbon nanotubes.

08:03They are composed of sheets of carbon atoms

08:05wrapped around themselves and forming a tube.

08:08They form a kind of grid.

08:11But they are much more resistant than the wire we use for our closures.

08:15These microscopic wonders

08:17are among the most solid materials known to humanity.

08:21And they have a remarkable weight-resistance ratio.

08:25They are light and powerful.

08:27Researchers have already made fibers, cables and ribbons

08:31from these carbon nanotubes.

08:33Their potential is immense.

08:35In 2018, scientists made them even more resistant than steel.

08:40There is only one small challenge left to face.

08:42Create lengths reaching tens of thousands of kilometers.

08:46But this material is not the only concern of engineers.

08:49The resistance of the ribbon also depends on the weaving.

08:52And the flaws may exist.

08:54Even if we all face these challenges,

08:56our space elevator will have to brave the lightning

08:59and avoid space debris.

09:01A real race of obstacles.

09:03So yes, there is still a long way to go.

09:07But don't forget that many things

09:09formerly considered science fiction

09:11have become scientific facts.

09:14The future is full of surprises.

09:16So who knows?

09:17Maybe one day,

09:18we will join the stars aboard a super space elevator.

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