Preparing lunar surface . . .

The rotating system would touch down on the same points if it
followed a equatorial orbit. It could touch down from one point to
about 7 on its orbit.

Your suggestion has merit, and I'm not sure which is the best way to
go. What if there is an obstruction on a 2,000 meter mountain and we
need to clear the peak of 100 meters of material? Is it more
efficient to blast it away to give an unobstructed path so that the
system can touch down at 10-50 meters elevation at the touchdown
points, or is it more efficient to leave the mountain peak intact
and build a 2,050 meter tower at each of the touchdown points?

--- In spacesettlers@y..., Lucio de Souza Coelho wrote:
> From: "victoriatangoman"
> To:
> Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2002 5:00 AM
> Subject: [spacesettlers] Preparing lunar surface . . .
>
> > The scenario: There is a rotating lunar elevator that will orbit
the
> > moon and approach the lunar surface five times per orbit. The
> > nearest approach is 50 feet from the surface.
> >
> > The Problem: As the rotating elevator descends it may encounter
high
> > spots in the terrain, even some mountain tops around the equator.
> > These will have to be cleared to allow a clear path for the
rotating
> > elevator.
> >
> I don't know the mechanics of a lunar rotating elevator. Does
it "touch"
> always the same points in the surface? If so, why not just set the
lowest
> altitude of the elevator high enough to avoid natural obstacles
(mountain
> tops, crater rims, etc) and build high towers to load and unload
cargo? That