According to the patent, the length of the tower would be made of a flexible sheet material divided into a 'plurality' of sections, each section would contain a separate core and stabilisation devices using gyroscopic or active control machinery to control pressurisation in each of the segments to keep the structure standing.
Traditionally, regions above 31 miles in altitude can only be reached by rocket ships, where mass is expelled at a high velocity to achieve thrust in the opposite direction. Dr. Brendan Quine, the space elevator's inventor, said that a space elevator would save more than 30% of the fuel of a conventional rocket.
"Astronauts would ascend 12 miles by electrical elevator. From the top of the tower, space planes will launch in a single stage to orbit, returning to the top of the tower for refuelling and reflight," said Dr Quine.
This would be achieved thanks to an aircraft-carrier-style runway on top of the tower that space planes, like those being designed by Elon Musk's company SpaceX would take off and land.
Thoth President and ceo, Caroline Roberts, believes the space tower, coupled with self-landing rocket technologies, will herald a new era of space transportation. "Landing on a barge at sea level is a great demonstration, but landing at 12 miles above sea level will make space flight more like taking a passenger jet," Roberts said.
