Transcript Opening ID slide

Why I Chose Space Elevators
• Implementation of a “space elevator” would revolutionize man’s
accessibility to space the same way the automobile changed our
mobility on earth’s surface. In fact, the true impact is probably beyond
anyone’s speculation, much as Henry Ford didn’t truly know what he
was starting.
• My research is inexorably linked to satellites, so I have more than a
casual interest in how those bits of metal and silicon get launched into
space.
Space Elevators
Jeri Brunson
NanoChemistry Seminar
Nov. 14, 2005
http://www.spacedaily.com
Student Affiliation:
Dept. of Physics, USU
http://www.grahamharrop.com
Getting To Space
• Shuttle failure is currently
2% or 1 out of every 100
flights.
• Aging orbiters – 1 of 57.
• Each launch costs around
1 billion dollars
http://www.clipartgallery.com
Future of the Space Shuttle
Photo from Japan
Aerospace Exploration
Agency http://spaceinfo.jaxa.jp
Shuttle missions are now restricted to delivering payloads to
the International Space Station, further diminishing the value
of their use.
New Ideas and Concepts for Space Access
• Russian scientist,
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, was
inspired by the Eiffel Tower
in 1895.
• In 1978, science fiction
author, Arthur C. Clark, wrote
about carbon fiber materials
that would fulfill
Tsiolkovsky’s vision.
http://www.alumni.umn.edu/
Mechanics of Space Elevators
r = 42,170 km
v = 3070 m/s
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu
The weight of the cable and climbers becomes important in
determining the counterweight.
Building a Tether
• The tether must be able to
withstand the Earth’s atmosphere
and the space environment.
• High voltages and currents
develop as it cuts through the Earth’s
magnetic field.
• It must be both extremely lightweight and stronger than any material
now used in aerospace construction.
Photo from Wikipedia –
http://en.wikipedia.org
Nanotubes Get Involved
• Carbon nanotubes and
carbon nanotube composite
materials show great
promise for use in
developing a space elevator.
• Potentially 100x stronger
than steel, flexible like
plastic.
• Long chains could be
braided together, short
chains encased in a polymer
matrix.
Photo from Georgia Institute of Technology
http://gtresearchnews.gatech.edu
Conceptual Designs
Conceptual designs from Liftport Group - http://www.liftport.com/
And European Space Agency - http://www.esrin.esa.it/
Animation property of Institute for Scientific Research
http://www.isr.us/SEanimation.asp
Future of Space Elevators
Time estimates for viable elevators range from decades to centuries.
“We’re closer now than lightyears to go.” – R.E. M.
Acknowledgements
•
•
•
•
NASA
Liftport Group
Institute for Scientific Research
Wikipedia.com 