the circumference of earth is 24k miles. a space elevator woiuld need to be up probably 22k-26k miles. i guess it depends if this wrap would follow a circumference line or a smaller one. nice problem to think about. thx.
Before you noodle too hard, I very well may be misremembering. It's a fair distance anyway though.
i was serious. it could wrap around the earth several times as long as it does not wrap around "straight" at a "equatorial" line. in what fashion would it wrap around? can someone elaborate? would a cable attached to a spinning sphere always wrap around an "equatorial" line? or could it also use other latitudes?