Comments by "SmallSpoonBrigade" (@SmallSpoonBrigade) on "Yes, scientists are actually building an elevator to space - Fabio Pacucci" video.

@nadegaming3136 One would hope so, but then again, look at how vulnerable planes and spacecraft are to relatively minor defects and consider just how much of an impact there would be from just a little extra mass per unit of length most of the way. I'd be very concerned about what happens when you need to repair the tether. Even the relatively small cables used on an elevator would cut through anybody in the vicinity if they snapped without that concrete box surrounding the shaft, and this would be much, much higher and without a protective case.
50
@junholee4961 That's nowhere near good enough. That might protect whatever or whomever is in the elevator at the time, but a snapping cable under that much tension would be pretty much unstoppable as it slashes through everything in it's way. And there'd be no way of knowing which direction it would go or how high you'd need the shield.
6