If someone put a thick cable many km long on a space shuttle, attached one end to a satellite, and dropped the other end to the earth, what would happen?
Picture a master lock tied to some fishing line, with the other end in your hand. You could sling it around in circles, and the lock would just "orbit" your hand.
Would a satellite in the same condition do the same thing? Would it get slung around the earth like a giant weed whacker?
I dont think the cable would burn up in the atmosphere, b/c it would not be moving through the atmosphere. Anyone standing on the ground would just see it there, like a really thin tower.
Now, back to the lock. An ant on your hand could climb out on the fishing line and be standing on the lock, provided she did not fall. Could a person shimmy up the cable and be in space?
Does anyone have a spare space shuttle so we can try this out?
Also, if this did happen, would the result be a tall structure or a low flying spacecraft?