← Back to Concept Index

space-elevator-failure

The chapter centers on the collapse of a 37,000-kilometer-long cable, a space elevator, and the consequences of its fall.

1 chapter across 1 book

Red Mars (1992)Kim Stanley Robinson

# #

The chapter depicts the aftermath of a catastrophic event involving the fall of a massive cable structure, likely a space elevator, which is monitored by a group of characters analyzing its trajectory and timing. The cable's fall is complicated by oscillations caused by Phobos, making its path unpredictable and rendering it invisible except as a line of fire. The characters reflect on the loss of the structure, referred to as 'Phyllis's bridge,' signaling the end of a significant technological achievement.