Tethers have never panned out due to the complexity and the lack of value.
To date tethers were envisioned as a way to reduce propellent mass for DVs ... but engines are better now.
Artificial gravity is whole new value concept
Let's just get folks ready for Mars so we with use 1/4 earth g
Earth Starship with payload is about 200 mT ... both would be 400 mT
So at 1/4 it's 100 mT on Earth
Tensile strength needed would be a cable that could hold 100,000 kg on earth ... here's a ref
https://web.roguecc.edu/sites/go.roguecc.edu/files/users/DGardner/tensile%20strength%20of%20a%20cable.pdf
Looks like about 6 kg per meter for everyday crane cable, so 6 mT per 1000 m, which should zero out motion sickness and minimize instability issue. My guess is the 500 m would be just as good a 3 mT
I bet there is some better cable so maybe only 2 mT for 500 mT ... seems like a nice value.
I should also say that the details of deployment can be very complex. On the upside we have 2 big masses that can thrust away from each other as the tether unreels. On the tougher side we need to spin the system up slowly with a high degree of co-ordination when were are at full extension. It would a very complex simulation to balance all the factors to minimize the chance of instability. If stability was long during spin up the two Starships could release the tether at the same moment and they should both drift away from it. They will need to do this at Mars approach anyway.
Created with Mobirise theme