Bye bye Space Elevator

> From: panamabob@...
> why would gravity be much lower at 30 kliks?
> counter acting gravity by buoyancy.. thrust just to move you
> over the earth surface...
> think of being in a boat on the sea...

Unfortunately 'low air resistance due to rarified atmosphere' and 'enough
air to support your balloon' are mutually exclusive. I've heard of this idea
before any it's interesting to note that noone has ever published an
engineering study explaining exactly how it's suppored to work and at what
altitude.

Nor do they explain how big the balloon woudl have to be in order to suport
a meaningful rocket.

John