>>9160929>It's not a matter of distribution. It's a matter of getting all that shit into orbit. To send something into orbit requires a shitload of energy. To get something into orbit through a space elevator requires a counterweight.>Just having a fucking ring around the planet does not solve the issue that is energy consumption to send something up there.The end point of the space elevator has enough orbital velocity to be in a static orbit around the planet. That price gets paid as you climb.
To get something into orbit just above the atmosphere needs about 7.8km/s of velocity.
An orbital ring isn't moving relative to the ground so you don't need any velocity once you are on the ring. The energy cost is the energy needed to lift something 80km up.
1kg x 80,000m x 9.51 (because gravity is slightly lower on the ring this is the number used to get to 80km) = 760,800J
(1kg x 7,800m/s) ^2 x 0.5 = 30,420,000J
760,800J to climb to the ring vs 30 million J to get up to orbital speed at the height of the ring.
Once you are on the ring you can accelerate using a magnetic levitation rail using electrical power pushing on the ring, rather than only the force from a rocket.
