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The ThothX Tower is a space launch platform tower design by Canadian aerospace company Thoth Technologies (ThothX). It is not a full space elevator, but a tall inflatable tubular tower structure in diameter, using elevators to transfer up and down to the stratospheric platform where rocket launch vehicles would land, refuel, load, and launch from to reach and return from orbit. It is projected that a launch from the top of the tower would save 30% of the fuel needed to reach orbit. From the top of the tower, the horizon would be away. The design has received UK and U.S. patent protection. The design is projected to cost and take 10 years to build. The full-sized tower would be about 20x taller than the tallest building as of 2015, Burj Khalifa of 〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= Canadian firm patents inflatable space elevator )〕 Self-climbing electric elevators would travel within the pneumatically inflated structure to convey material between the top platform and base. The cars would either run in the tower or along the outside and would carry about . Normal elevator cables cannot stretch longer than high. The tower would be built out of stacked kevlar cells inflated to extreme pressures with hydrogen or helium gas. Flywheels would be used to stabilize the structure, as the structure is much too tall for guywires to work. The tower is designed to be able to survive Category 5 hurricanes. With the reduction in fuel needed to reach orbit, it is projected that single-stage-to-orbit craft can be practicably used with current technology. The tower is high as most orbital rockets go up before curving towards orbit, and this tower could eliminate that portion of flight.〔〔〔〔〔 A high tower model was unveiled in 2009. A demonstration tower is planned to be built. The basic design may be extended to high towers.〔〔 Among other projected uses for the tower would be as a communications tower, low altitude replacement for satellites, high altitude wind turbine platforms.〔 ==Further reading== * USPTO Patent no. 9085897 "Space Elevator" granted 21 July 2015.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「ThothX Tower」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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