Space Elevator Tether Taper Profile

A space elevator cable can't be a uniform rod — to hold constant stress at every altitude it must taper according to the balance between Earth's gravity and the centrifugal pull of the planet's rotation. This simulator renders that exact taper equation in 3D: choose a real cable material, a safety factor, and a counterweight altitude beyond geostationary orbit, and watch the cross-section widen or narrow along the true shape the physics demands. Live readouts show the taper ratio at geostationary altitude and at the counterweight, plus an estimated total tether mass, making it immediately visible why only carbon-nanotube-class fibers keep the numbers in a buildable range while steel and Kevlar do not.