Space Elevator

This is the element of the Murdok Port Complex provides the physical connection between Murdok Spaceport and Murdok Starport

The elevator is a large chain that is anchored in the ground of Murdok and at the startport (which, by necessity, has a geostationary orbit). The elevator most closely resembles a bike chain in which each link is 2 meters long. The chain stretched from the ground into outer space - it's total length is about (??) km. Its anchor on Murdok is a single plate of steel roughly the size of a football pitch. It is star-shaped and it's anchor points descend into the planet's crust for 500 meters.

Cars of different sizes can be attached to the chain by means of very large gear wheels. Fusion reactors on board turn the gear wheels, which then pulls the cars upwards or downwards along the chain. Manoeuver drives in some car models speed up gear movement, allowing for faster travel time along the chain. For reference: a fusion-drive only car with a large load of copper takes approximately one week to travel from the planet surface to the station, but a passenger model car that is smaller and lighter and has a manoeuver drive can make the journey in two days by detaching from the chain when it reaches the upper atmosphere at about 3000 meter above ground and flying until immediately below the station. In order to dock, it will reattach to the chain.

Cars are attached and detached from the chain by specialized equipment. Once a car is attached to the elevator its cargo is loaded. For people there is a ladder that allows entry to the specialized car. Cargo is packed in shipping containers and stowed like that.

Cargo normally travels unpressurized so when the cars exit the atmosphere they are exposed to the vacuum of space. This helps prevent contaminants, disease, bacteria or other nasties from leaving Murdok and this - apart from the massive cost savings - is one of the main advantages of not using shuttles or other aircraft for transport to the highport. If an outbreak or other biological threat were to develop on Murdok the shipping of copper would not be affected so long as someone was on the planet to ship it up into the atmosphere.

As the old cynical Traveller saying goes: No atmosphere, no disease.