College of Engineering Munnar

Seminar by

Aparna Vasudevan
7250

Department of Electronics and Communication

Date:18 -09-10
 Recent Trends in Space Technology

Inefficiency of conventional launch vehicles

Controlled chemical combustion principle

Cost associated

Rising death toll

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SPACE ELEVATOR

From
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Dept of ECE Fiction to Engineering
 What is Space Elevator?
Concept of inexpensive and safe
travel from Earth to space

60,000 mile long cable

Counter weight

Climber

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 Different Parts of a Space Elevator

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Dept of ECE
 Carbon Nanotube (CNT)
Composed of covalently bonded n/w of
C atoms

Tensile strength of 63Gpa

Carbon nanotubes: measured at 200 GPa

(54xKevlar)

Strength 100x that of steel at 1/6 the

weight

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 Categories of CNTs

Single layered

Multi layered

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 Cable Taper
To carry cable weight
& weight of climber

Required strength non-

uniform along cable length

To provide centripetal force

Tension in the tower remains

uniform throughout

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 Cable Design
The final ribbon is one-
meter wide and composed
of parallel high-strength
fibers

Interconnects maintain
structure and allow the
ribbon to survive small
impacts

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 Counter Weight
To capture an asteroid or use a space
station

Extending the cable itself well past the geo

synchronous orbit

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 Base Station
Global distribution of lightning
activity

Global distribution of cyclonic

storm

Requirements related to power

beaming station

Space required for mobility of

cable anchor

Ease of construction, access and

operations

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 Why go for an ocean platform
Excellent mobility to avoid storm and heavenly bodies

Can be placed in equator (less storms & lightning )

Mobile sea platform are tested technology

In case any disaster lower 1000-2000km of cable will land in

the sea and the other part will burn out

No high altitude operational challenges

Future expansion is possible

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 Climbers Climbers built with current satellite
technology

Drive system built with DC electric

motors

Photovoltaic array (AlGaAs or Si)

receives power from Earth

7-ton climbers carry 13-ton

payloads

Climbers ascend at 200 km/hr

8 day trip from Earth to

geosynchronous altitude
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 POWER BEAMING

Proposed methods
Using laser beam
Running power up cable
Onboard nuclear power
Solar power

Most economically
feasible & efficient method
Laser power beaming

h
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 Laser Power Beaming

Uses adaptive optics

Spatial resolution of 25 cm at 1000 km.

Focus the laser into the precise spot size we need at

10,000 km

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 Angular momentum, speed & cable
lean

Coriolis effect

Horizontal speed increases with altitude

Climber drags cable

Slows down earth minutely

For max climber speed center of mass above geosynchronous

orbit

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 Deployment

Space elevator.flv

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 Once built then what?

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 Failure Modes and Safety Issues

Collision with inactive non-

GSO satellites avoided to
some extent by ground
maneuverability

Meteoroids :unpredictable,
difficult to detect & track

Corrosion : atomic oxygen in

upper atmosphere, corrosion
resistant material, coating

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 Health Issues

Weather :Stable within 2 deg of equator, non-

conducting fiber, water resistant coating, adds weight

Sabotage: Terrorist attack

Vibrational harmonics: Natural resonant freq

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 Failure and Consequences
Cut near anchor point

Elevator rises upward to stable orbit

Cut at about 25,000 km

Lower part descends to earth

Upper portion rises upward to stable orbit

Lower part burns up on re-entry

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 Where are we now ?

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 Space Elevator Games

The NASA Beam Power Challenge

$900,000 won by LaserMotive

Tether challenge-second category

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 Europe
Eurospaceward pushing the
space elevator development

EuroSpaceward conference in
Luxenbourg: Dec. 5-6, 2009

Germany producing ultralight

PV arrays that may completely
change the climber design

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 Japan
Japan Space Elevator Association
established. 

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and

Industry of Japan has the SE in their
Technology Strategic Map

First space elevator climber

competition run in 2009

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 International Space Elevator
Consortium
ISEC was formed in August 2008 to coordinate
and support space elevator activities around the
world.

ISEC members include:

o Eurospaceward
o The Japanese Space Elevator Association
o Spaceward foundation

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 Space Elevator Wiki

www.spaceelevatorwiki.com

Wiki developed to initiate collaborative work

on the space elevator

Includes:
o Major and minor development issues
o Software to assist development work

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 Budget Estimates

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 A Future with the Space Elevator
Solar power satellites

Solar system exploration &

colonization

Full commercialization of
space

Space activities dominated by

private, possibly non-US
entities

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 Space Elevator Technology in
Terrestrial Elevators
Climbing mechanisms or lightweight
cars of the space elevator may be
required.

The high strength cables could become

safety lines in conventional elevators 

The power beaming techniques

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 Conclusion

Design, deployment and operational scenarios for the first

space elevator have been put together. Potential challenges
have been laid out and solutions developed.

The space elevator is viable in the near future with a

reasonable investment and development plan.

“Our generation can and will go to space”

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 References
The Space Elevator NIAC Phase II Final Report
March 1, 2003
Bradley C. Edwards, Ph.D.,Eureka Scientific

The Space Elevator Feasibility Condition

Ben Shelef, the Spaceward Foundation

www.spaceelevatorblog.com
www.spaceelevator.com
www.spaceelevatorwiki.com
www.bradleyedwards.com
www.eurospaceward.org

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 QUESTIONS?

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