Japan starts space elevator experiments
> <i>"...six oval-shaped cars, each measuring 18m x 7.2m holding 30 people, ... eight days ...."</i><p>Whooooa.  Let's think about this for a second.  Eight days means people need to sleep (and not just sitting up in a chair, no matter how comfy).  At 1m x 2m per bed that would be a 15m x 4m space even without aisles to walk between the beds or down the middle or any sort of privacy separators.  Also, a bathroom and actual washing facilities of some sort are mandatory, and a kitchen with at least minimal food-prep capabilities (even if it's mostly pre-made); modern airplane galleys only need to deal with trips in the tens of hours.<p>18m x 17.2m is really <i>really</i> not a lot of space for all that.