The Fountains of Paradise is a Hugo and Nebula Award winning 1979 novel by Arthur C. Clarke. Set in the 22nd century, it describes the construction of a space elevator. This "orbital tower" is a giant structure rising from the ground and linking with a satellite in geostationary at the height of approximately 36,000 kilometers (approx. 22,300 miles). Such a structure would be used to raise payloads to orbit without having to use rockets, making i...
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The Fountains of Paradise is a Hugo and Nebula Award winning 1979 novel by Arthur C. Clarke. Set in the 22nd century, it describes the construction of a space elevator. This "orbital tower" is a giant structure rising from the ground and linking with a satellite in geostationary at the height of approximately 36,000 kilometers (approx. 22,300 miles). Such a structure would be used to raise payloads to orbit without having to use rockets, making it much more cost-effective.
Clarke uses the life of the ancient king Kalidasa to foreshadow the exploits of engineer Vannevar Morgan in his determination to realise the space elevator. Subplots include human colonization of the solar system and the first contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. The story is set in the fictional equatorial island country of Taprobane, which Clarke has described it as "about ninety percent congruent with the island of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)", south of its real world location. The ruins of the palace at...
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