The Space Elevator

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The Space Elevator

• An Economical Bridge to Space

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What is a Space Elevator?

• Ground to space platform
• transportation concept
• Employs carbon nano-tube composite technology
• Extends form Earth to GEO (22,245 miles) and
  beyond (62,000 miles)
• Much more affordable than current transport
  methods

3
Design Overview

• Ocean based equatorial platform

• 1st point of attachment for tehter
• Serves as base from which send payload
• Safer out in the ocean
• -Pacific Ocean
• -Avoids ship and aircraft traffic
• -Anti-terrorism advantage

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Design Overview

• Powered Climber

• Powered by free-electron laser
• Eventually capable of lifting 20 ton loads.
• Used to build up cable strength after
  construction
• Can carry very sensitive equip.
• Able to release loads into escape orbits

1 kW disk laser (Vetrovec, Boeing)
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Design Overview
Epoxy/Carbon Nanotube Tether

• The lynch pin for elevator construction
• Carbon nanotubes
• -sts 130 GPa
• -? 1300kg/m3
• Steel
• -sts lt 5 GPa
• -? 7200kg/m3
• Avg. thickness 1µm

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Challenges

• Obstacles to Development

• Lightning
• Meteors
• LEO Objects
• Wind
• Atomic Oxygen
• EMF
• Radiation Damage
• Induced Oscillations

7
Benefits

• Deliver payloads at fraction of current costs
• -Shuttle 10,000/lb
• -Elevator 100/lb
• Send and receive payloads in days
• Increasable capacity/survivability
• Send/rescue payloads with minimum vibration
• Send objects into orbit or other planets.

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References

• Institute of Scientific Research
• http//www.isr.us/research_es_se.asp
• http//www.isr.us/Downloads/niac_pdf/contents.htm
  l
• The Space Elevator
• 3rd Annual International Conference
• http//www.isr.us/spaceelevatorconference/index.h
  tml