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Space Elevator Prizes Proposed

Posted by michael on from the up-up-and-away dept.

colonist writes "Space elevator proponents are planning competitions for space elevator technologies, similar to the Ansari X Prize. Elevator:2010 will organize annual competitions for climbers, ribbons and power-beaming systems. In other space elevator news, researcher Bradley C. Edwards recently left the Institute for Scientific Research to work at two companies on materials and technology. Also, the space elevator has caught the interest of Google's founders: 'At a space camp in Alabama last year, Brin talked about creating a space elevator to transport cargo up a special tether attached to earth. Also last year, Brin joined Page in proclaiming they should found a nanotech lab at Google.'"

5 of 214 comments (clear)

  1. Re:As I understand it... by mangu · · Score: 3, Informative
    It's pretty obvious one end hooks to Earth, but what do you hook the other to?


    An artificial satellite in geostationary orbit, that is at an altitude (close to 36000km) where the orbital velocitiy is the same as Earth's rotation.


    don't we then have to worry about the strength of the tethers


    Yes, that's the main problem.


    ultimately the consequences of altering Earth's rotation?


    No, since the satellite would be rotating at exactly the same speed as the Earth.

  2. I'm not so sure by cflorio · · Score: 4, Informative
    Before jumping to conclusions on how this is not possible, go ahead and pick up a copy of The Space Elevator Book.

    They do have the material, carbon nano tubes. They just can't be made to the length needed, yet. They have ideas on how to avoid the space junk.

  3. Re:As I understand it... by cjameshuff · · Score: 5, Informative
    A space elevator is a really long "superstrong" ribbon.
    Correct.
    But then things get confusing. It's pretty obvious one end hooks to Earth, but what do you hook the other to? The Moon? An asteroid?
    Not the moon. And not necessarily an asteroid, or anything. You could build a ribbon that extends far past GEO, and you won't need any kind of counterweight. As long as there is enough mass higher than GEO, the elevator will stay up.
    Assuming we find a substance strong enough to build such a cable from, don't we then have to worry about the strength of the tethers and ultimately the consequences of altering Earth's rotation?
    As mentioned, we have found materials strong enough, the problem is now producing them. And there will be no significant effects on Earth's rotation. Yes, momentum for the payloads will be taken from Earth's angular momentum...but Earth is really, really big and massive. Tidal effects with the moon will likely have greater effects than we could cause with beanstalks.
  4. Moron! by leonbrooks · · Score: 4, Informative

    You don't have the first clue how it all works, do you?

    --
    Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
  5. busted cables? by positroniumman · · Score: 3, Informative
    now i thought that the amount of stresses in the cable meant that any type of space elevator would be unlikely without some very strong new material.

    for example, say i wanted to lift a 100kg man up to 380 km (ISS height). This would put a force of 1000N(the man) + 380km *area * density (of cable).area of say 30 cm^2 gives a force of 1000 +1140* density. failure is usually measured in stress (force per area) soooo lets see.....

    with
    material/stress/density steel 250Mpa 7850 kg/m^3 nanotubes 63GPa 3520kg/m^3 calculated stress steel = 2.9Gpa calculated nanotubes = 1.3 GPa

    SO nanotubes may handle the stress, but noone can make 380 km of nanotube rope yet. Even that much kevlar would be tough. and this is without incorporating the added stress of accelerating the man (starting his trip up the rope).

    In short, new materials are needed!