One person I have looked up to for as long as I can remember is Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, author, and personality who I have admired and
followed from a young age. I credit him partly for my interest in space and science. Dr. Tyson
also did his post-doctorate at Princeton University, a school I someday hope to attend for
graduate studies. For the past few years, I have been listening to his “StarTalk” podcast which
features guest co-hosts- most of which are highly accomplished academics or scientists. They
talk about every interesting science topic imaginable. One of the reasons I admire Dr. Tyson so
much is because of his ability to explain extremely complex topics in a way that almost anyone
can understand. He has mastered the art of teaching and communicating science in a way that is
both entertaining and understandable. One quote from Dr. Tyson that I like especially is “The
universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.” I think this is a perfect encapsulation of
what science is all about. Scientists don’t claim to have all of the answers for the universe, and
they are sometimes wrong, this doesn’t mean they need to make things up to try and make sense
of it. He also happens to be the author of our “textbook” for the pathway to space class. It’s titled
“Astrophysics For People in A Hurry,” and Dr. Tyson does a great job of explaining complex
topics in a way anyone can understand.
A project I thought would be fun to potentially work on with Dr. Tyson is a “space
elevator.” I have always found the idea of them fascinating, and with today’s technology, actually
building one might be actually possible not too far in the future. The reason I would want to take
on this project with Dr. Tyson is because of his extensive physics knowledge and large portfolio
of industry experts in engineering and applied physics. With my area of knowledge being
aerospace engineering, I feel that the space elevator is a fun theoretical project we could work on
together.
The basic idea of a space elevator is to position a cable like structure on the surface of the
into space with a counterweight at the end of the cable. If the counterweight is placed at the
perfect location in space, the centripetal acceleration from the rotational motion of the earth
would keep the cable taught without having to put supports on earth.
The base of the space elevator would likely be located at the equator, where the Earth’s
rotational speed is highest, providing a natural centrifugal boost. This station would serve as the
foundation, anchoring the entire structure to the Earth’s surface and housing the initial lift
mechanisms and infrastructure. The cable, which is perhaps the most critical component, would
need to be both incredibly strong and light—capable of withstanding tremendous forces while
minimizing additional weight. Materials such as carbon nanotubes or boron nitride nanotubes are
the most promising candidates, as they offer strength-to-weight ratios significantly greater than
any currently available materials, including steel. At the opposite end of the cable, well beyond
GEO, a counterweight would help keep the cable taut and maintain the structural integrity of the
elevator. This could potentially be a captured asteroid, a purpose-built space station, or a heavy
platform. The counterweight’s mass and the centrifugal force due to the Earth's rotation would
balance the downward gravitational pull on the lower sections of the cable. Powered climber
machines would ascend and descend the cable, carrying people, satellites, and other payloads
into space. These climbers would probably be powered by nuclear reactors or solar cells, but in
the future we would probably have some more efficient and powerful energy source.

Here is an example of what the space elevator could look like if it was actually (this
image was made with ai).
If humans were to actually build something like this in the future, I can almost guarantee
that Dr. Tyson will have a part in it, and maybe I will too. Neil deGrasse Tyson is a science icon,
and I believe he will be remembered for generations for his contributions, just like his mentor,
Carl Sagan.