Hi Joel: A harp string is not much longer than one meter. The ribbon is 36 million meters from anchor ship to GEO altitude, so frequencies will be much lower. The ribbon will be some what heftier at jet stream altitude to compensate for worst possible conditions. My guess is flutter will be a problem = rotation of the ribbon about it's vertical axis. There will also be stretch transients due to attaching the climber at the anchor ship and any speed changes of the climber. I assume a winch at the anchor ship which can tighten or loosen the ribbon to avoid excessive stress or temporary slack ribbon. In my opinion it is important to know to the second when transients will reach the anchor ship and pass each climber. It is thought that transients will travel more than one mile per second on the ribbon, but perhaps much slower if a Hoytether is used as it is somewhat like a fishnet. My guess is the stretch transients can help move the climber up the ribbon. I agree we need to use a ribbon (instead of a round cable) to tether a large balloon at an altitude of 40 kilometters or more, so as to be sure we understand how the jet stream will vibrate the ribbon.    Neil

 To all concerned,
   Please verify your info before making a statement that shows you haven't researched meteorology.  The very reason we call it the jet stream is because the course it follows and the speed at which it moves are widely variable.  This high speed current of air affects weather all around the earth.