Yes. At the centre. The rest of the cable is hanging down in both directions from the centre.doublemint said:Well there must be some sort of stress on the cable...
The cable of a space elevator is thicker at the center to support the weight of the entire structure and the payload that it carries. As the elevator extends farther from the Earth's surface, the weight it needs to support increases. Therefore, the cable needs to be thicker at the center to provide enough strength and stability.
The exact thickness of the cable at the center of a space elevator depends on the specific design and materials used. However, it is estimated that the cable needs to be at least 5-6 feet in diameter to support the weight and stress of the elevator and its payload.
Currently, there is no material strong enough to make a cable that can reach from Earth's surface into space. However, proposed materials for space elevator cables include carbon nanotubes, graphene, and other advanced materials with high tensile strength and low weight.
The cable of a space elevator is anchored to a space station or counterweight in geostationary orbit, 22,236 miles above the Earth's surface. This geostationary orbit means that the space station is always in the same position relative to the Earth, providing a stable anchor for the cable to stay in place.
In theory, the cable of a space elevator could break or snap due to extreme weather events or other unforeseen circumstances. However, engineers design space elevators with multiple safety features, such as redundancies and emergency brakes, to prevent catastrophic failures. Additionally, regular maintenance and inspections would be necessary to ensure the safety and integrity of the cable.