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SPACE ELEVATOR

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WHAT IS SPACE ELEVATOR

The Space Elevator

is a cable-like toolwhich could connectthe Earth with a fixedstructure in outerspace.

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CONTENTS

WHY BUILD IT?

MATERIALS USED IN BUILDINGSPACE ELEVATOR

COMPONENTS OF SPACEELEVATOR

SOME PROBLEMS AND

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Why Build It?

Current:$$$: Space Shuttle Missions

cost an average of$500,000,000 or$7,440/lb.

Elevator:

The projected 10 yr cost ofthe elevator is $40B(est. 500 missions)

Future missions require nopropellant, the majorcost of rocket missions

Current:

Riding on a continuous andgiant explosion isextraordinarily dangerous, as

is re-entry (Challenger,Columbia).

Elevator:

No human risk, missions areunmanned.

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What sort of material could webuild a space elevator from?

The cable in a SpaceElevator could only be

constructed from an

extremely strong, flexible and

lightweight material, such as

carbon nanotubes.

carbon nanotubes 200 timesstronger than steel,heat

resistant,flexible than most

materials

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kohlenstoffnanoroehre_Animation.gif

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HOW COULD IT BE

DONE

IT CONSISTS MAINLY OFTHREE PARTSThe RibbonCarbon

Nanotubes,SummaryAnchorsClimbers

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WHAT ISCARBON NANO TUBE?

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THE RIBBON

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THE ANCHOR

The space anchor willconsist of the spentlaunch vehicle.

The Earth anchor willconsist of a mobilesea platform 1500

miles from theGalapagos islands

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THE

CLIMBERSInitial ~200 climbersused to build nano-

ribbonLater used aslaunch vehicles forpayloads from 20,000-

1,000,000 kg, atvelocities up to200km/hr

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MAJOR HURDLES AND

THEIR SOLUTIONSAtmospheric:

Lightning High Winds

Orbital:Meteors

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LightningThreat:Ribbon has lower

resistivity than surroundingair, lighting will prefer thispath.

Solutions:Platform lies in a region

of very low lightning activityPlatform is mobile, and canmove tether out of the way

of incoming storms

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High Winds

Threat:

32m/s wind velocity will

induce enough drag to destroy

tether.

Solution:

Winds at platform

location consistently below

critical velocityWidth of tether will be adjusted

to minimize wind loading

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MeteorsThreat:

Pretty obvious

Solution:

Vander Waal forcesbetween nanotubes limitthe damaged area

Low meteor flux, & smallprobability of large (>1cm)

impactsClimbers will be capable ofrepairing ribboncontinuously

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COULD YOU WIN?

CurrentlyThe SpacewardFoundation is running two

competitions to design the spaceelevator.A total of US$ 4 million is up for

grabs.Design either the climber (theelevator unit) or the tether (the

string)

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