An orbital ring is a concept for a space elevator that consists of an artificial ring placed around the Earth that rotates at an angular rate that is faster than the rotation of the Earth, but that has fixed tethers hanging down to the ground. The structure is intended to be used for very high speed transportation and space launch. The original orbital ring concept is related to the space fountain and launch loop. The concept was explored in detail by Paul Birch in three papers published in 1982.