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Space elevatorjun02
The document proposes building a space elevator using carbon nanotube composite materials to provide cheaper access to space. It describes a design for an initial small space elevator with a 20 ton capacity that could transport payloads to geosynchronous orbit in one week for $100 per pound, far cheaper than current options. The design addresses challenges like constructing a strong tether, deploying it into space, powering climbers, and anchoring it on Earth, which could be developed within a decade for under $10 billion. It concludes that a space elevator could transport over 5,000 kg of payload per day and ultimately cost just $10 per kg.
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Space elevatorjun02
- 1. The Space Elevator Bradley C. Edwards, Ph.D. Eureka Scientific and HighLift Systems Funded by NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts For more information please see: www.niac.usra.edu or www.highliftsystems.com
- 2. Proposed System: Overview • What is a space elevator? • First, small elevator (20 ton capacity) • One week ascent time to GEO • Constructed with existing or near-term technology
- 3. Why build it? Now First Space Elevator Cost(GEO) $50,000/lb $100/lb ($10/lb) Capacity 4,000 lb/day ave. 12,000 lb/day Usefulness • Critical satellites for gov., large corp. and research • Solar power satellites • Manufacturing • Space resources • Private environ monitoring • Tourism
- 4. The Original Problem: The Cable
- 5. Carbon Nanotubes •100 times stronger than steel and 1/5 as heavy • Production at 1 and 2 tons per week available in 2003
- 6. 5km continuous 1%CNT composite fiber Carbon Nanotubes Composites • Dispersion, functionalization, incorporation • Need 100GPa tensile strength (30 times steel) • 1 to 3 years development
- 7. Ribbon Design •Optimized strength to mass • Resistant to meteors • Easy to climb • Few square millimeters cross section
- 8. The Rest ofthe Problems: Deployment Climber Power Anchor etc.
- 9.
- 10. Initial Spacecraft •Largest initial ribbon • Minimum launch mass • Minimal development
- 11. Climbers Motors CPU,power and speed control, etc. Initial cable Photo array Spooled cable to be added Added cable • Simple • Reliable • Efficient • Low mass to payload ratio
- 12. Power Beaming •Minimal mass on climber • High net power • Low recurring cost • Efficient
- 13. Anchor Sealaunch •Mobile • Ocean-going • Existing technology • Multi-purpose platform
- 14.
- 15.
- 16. Lightning Ecuador ProposedAnchor zone Pacific Ocean Lightning rate: <10 km-2 year-1 1000 km
- 17. Meteors and Debris • A 20 cm wide cable will survive for 3 yrs • A 1 m wide cable will survive for roughly 200 yrs
- 18. Orbital Objects andDebris • 110,000 objects larger than 1 cm diameter • Active avoidance required
- 19. Wind Loading •Proposed cable should be able to survive windspeeds up to 159 mph or a Category 5 hurricane • Anchor location avoids hurricanes, jetstreams and high winds
- 20. Murphy z EnvironmentalImpact - Ionosphere z Malfunctioning climbers
- 21. Severed Cables •Infall scenario: break-up on re-entry • Mechanical damage: minimal • Lingering health risks: under investigation
- 22.
- 23. Schedule (Years 1-10) Cable Build-up Climber Const ruct ion Cable Const ruct ion Init ial SC Launch Init ial SC Const ruct . SC & Climber Design Power Beaming Fac. Const . Power Beaming Sys Design Tracking Facilit ies Const . Tracking Syst em Design Anchor Stat ion Const . Anchor Stat ion Design 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 8 10 Years 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12)
- 24. Budget (Technical Costs) Component Cost Estimate Launch costs to GEO $1.02B Cable production $390M Spacecraft $507M Climbers $367M Power beaming stations $1.5B Anchor station $120M Tracking facility $500M Other $430M Contingency (30%) $1.44B TOTAL ~$6.2B Recommend construction of a second cable for redundancy: $2B
- 25. The Bottom Line •Initial capital cost: $6.2B •Operations cost: <$100M/yr, <$250/kg •Ultimate operational costs: ~$10/kg •SE Lift rate: 5000 kg/day •Cost of additional cables or doubling the size of the first: $2B
- 26. The Next Step • Complete development effort: -CNT composites -Feasibility test -Engineering studies • Assemble management, engineering and construction teams
- 27.
- 28. Summary For moreinformation and details please see: www.niac.usra.edu or www.highliftsystems.com z The initial designs, construction and operational scenarios for the space elevator have been laid out. z Two years of supported development yet required z First space elevator (13,000 kg capacity, 5000 kg/day, $250/kg) can be operational in 11 years at a cost of <$10B