About 20 000 dollars it costs to transport one kilogram payload with a rocket into orbit – no wonder it is searching for cheaper alternatives. The idea to build an elevator into space, comes from the Russian amateur researchers and space pioneer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. 1895 some 60 years before the first rocket launched into orbit, he proposed to build a tower that reaches into space. It could then loads climb and descend convey.
The downside: A tower in the geostationary orbit would have made enormous pressure-resistant materials and be hoisted with a diameter of several hundred kilometers. Carefully formulated: an ambitious project.
But how about an elevator without tower? NASA, the International Space Elevator Consortium and a few other public and private organizations believe in the idea of a geostationary satellite to use: suspended from a rope would that reaches down to around 36,000 kilometers distant surface. As a counterweight, it is extended via the satellite into space, so that centrifugal and attractive force are in balance and keep the satellite in orbit together with rope. Because geostationary satellites can be just above the equator, the ground station must be created there. And best middle of the ocean: The platform at the lower end of the rope is attached to, swim in the Pacific, while remaining flexible in order to avoid storms can. By the way can be changed so the rope in space, the position of the satellite; such as when he threatens to be hit by space junk.
Unresolved issues
That sounds good in theory. The biggest problem in practice remains, however, to find a suitable material for the rope. A steel cable about would break even at a length of a few kilometers under its own weight. Therefore engineers work meticulously on a cone-shaped structure in which the rope towards the top is getting fatter. With all the materials available to date, the diameter would still too large. Hope researchers therefore rely on carbon nanotubes and graphene, even if it is far from being technically possible to construct from these materials ropes with even begin to sufficient length.
Even further one is in the question of how the gondolas of the elevator, the Climber so-called, to be supplied with energy. The rope itself comes as a conductor out of the question, since the electrical resistance at a length of 36 000 kilometers will be too high. It is conceivable to mount the solar cells themselves Climbern that are irradiated from the Earth with strong lasers and deliver the electric motors the required current. On missile speeds the elevator cars so far not come close. Rather, they would present the same features and with 200 to 300 kilometers per hour will need about one week from the base up to the satellite.
The speed plays the most important role hardly skyward: Both the floating in the sea platform and the satellite are in orbit around the Earth’s center. The platform moves thereby at a rotational speed of about 462 meters per second, the satellite sets per second but a distance of about three kilometers. Now climb accelerated merely upwards, but not horizontal load towards satellite, it is therefore initially slower than the rope at the appropriate location, and “pulls” it back against the Earth’s rotation. By proceeding from the rope drag it is but gradually accelerated in the direction of the Earth’s rotation; the rope gets caught only in vibration.Climbing two gondolas in the opposite direction between Earth and orbit up and down, these vibrations can probably be minimized.
Stay practical issues – such as, to be as a hypothetical, mega stable carbon nanotube rope length of 36 000 kilometers rolled toward heaven or lowered from above. Perhaps one could produce the rope spot: A space shuttle flying into the geosynchronous orbit, and takes thence a very thin thread which is secured to the base station on Earth down. Then runs a micro-lift on the thread up and drags a similarly thin thread behind him; Once at the top then the rope would consist of two threads – and so on until the final thickness is reached.
Between Science Fiction and Reality
Away from the technology: Thrilling at “lift to the stars”, as science fiction author Arthur Clarke headlined, is primarily how extremely different the chances of success of the project will be evaluated today. Where many see only one feasible and yet never billion-dollar idea, others are already working briskly with very specific launch dates. So the Japanese company Obayashi, who wants to have succeeded by 2050, to take a space elevator in operation. Eben This company throw themselves in front Space elevator fans, only to produce marketing bubbles.An even tighter timetable than the controversial Asians, the American Lift Port Group: She plans already in 2019 to build an elevator on the Moon, the first is mainly there to simplify the landing of larger loads. The moon would provide lift at least in one respect, a decisive advantage: Due to the lower gravity, the rope would there then exposed to lower loads. Many hold the undertaking therefore already feasible. Others think that the little moon lift company might once keep their website up to date and should bring a few less ambitious projects to successful completion. Conclusion: Technically, a space elevator would be feasible – when and if it is ever built, however, is completely unclear.
Written by : Saikat Sinha on thepapers.in
Written by : Saikat Sinha on thepapers.in
