Constructing a Martian area elevator can be sophisticated by the Martian moon Phobos, which is in a low orbit at ~6,028 km above the Martian floor and intersects the Equator recurrently, thus getting in the way in which of a standard geostationary area elevator. However there’s an concept as an alternative to construct a area elevator from Phobos itself.
Phobos is tidally locked to Mars (because the Moon is to Earth), the place the identical aspect of the moon stays dealing with the planet. A area elevator might prolong down from Phobos to Mars 6,000 km, about 28 kilometers from the floor, and simply out of the environment of Mars. An identical area elevator cable might prolong out 6,000 km the wrong way that may counterbalance Phobos. In whole the area elevator would prolong out over 12,000 km which might be beneath Areostationary orbit of Mars (17,032 km).
A rocket launch would nonetheless be wanted to get the rocket and cargo to the start of the area elevator 28 km above the floor. The floor of Mars is rotating at 0.25 km/s on the equator and the underside of the area elevator can be rotating round Mars at 0.77 km/s, so solely 0.52 km/s of Delta-v can be wanted to get to the area elevator. Phobos orbits at 2.15 km/s and the outer most a part of the area elevator would rotate round Mars at 3.52 km/s.
In our speculative Mars Colonization Timeline we’ve estimated such a Phobos-based area elevator may very well be constructed as quickly as in 2080s–2090s. In adition to the area elevator there may very well be constructed a shuttle port on the summit of Pavonis Mons – the Martian volcano virtually on the equator – for shuttles heading to and coming from Phobos area elevator. The summit of Pavonis Mons is standing 14 km above Mars’ imply floor stage (manner above the denser a part of the environment), halving the wanted journey to the shuttle platform at area elavator’s decrease tip 28 km above the floor.
