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Space ElevatorsMichael Howard
10-31-12
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Pros and Cons
Benefits
Cheaper space travel
Allows for many more trips into space
Problems
Requires a very strong and light material
Will be costly to build
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What is a Space Elevator?
Rope attached to the Earth near theequator which extends directly into spaceand is attached to a small counterweight in
geostationary orbit
Will be able to transfer materials andeventually humans into space for much
cheaper than it costs now
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Why Does the Tether Stay Up?
Because the force ofgravity at the bottomand the
upward/outwardcentrifugal force atthe top competekeeping the rope taut
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The Platform
Will be placed along the equator so it willbe located in the same place in the sky forground observers
Built on a ship so it can be moved
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The Tether
Will be made of 22,000 mile long carbonnanotube strands because it is currentlythe only option which has the proper
strength and is light enough
Will need to be wider at geosynchronousaltitude where it will experience the most
stress and taper down as it approachesearth
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The Climber
It will be powered by lasers and solarpower
It is estimated that the climb will takeabout 5 days
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Climber
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Counterweight
Captured asteroid
Space station above geostationary orbit
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Benefits
Currently, the cost to launch a shuttle isabout $10,000/lb
Mechanical lifters attached to cable couldcarry cargo up to space for about $100 to$400 per pound
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Elevator vs. Rocket
While rockets will undoubtedly improvegreatly in efficiency there is a limit to howefficient they can become
The elevator will be the next step
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Space tourism
A space elevator could help many peoplerealize their dream of traveling into space
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Problems with the elevator
Will require a strong material such ascarbon nanotubes which we dont currently
possess the ability to form into a long
enough tether
Will the public be convinced it is a goodidea
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Cost to build it
The space elevator will be the longeststructure ever built but it will be simple
Estimated cost to build the space elevatoris about $10 billion
Approximate cost of building a spaceshuttle is about 1.7 billion and it costsabout $450 million per mission
Endeavor completed 25 missions beforebeing retired
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Would it be Safe?
Space debris
Cable snaps
Storms Terrorism
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Conclusion
The future of space travel
Would set us on the path towards expanding ourspace exploration to places might never reach
relying solely on rockets Philip Ragan, co-author of the book "Leaving the
Planet by Space Elevator", states that "The firstcountry to deploy a space elevator will have a 95percent cost advantage and could potentiallycontrol all space activities."
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References
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/space-elevator.html
http://www.howstuffworks.com/space-elevator.htm
http://www.spaceward.org/elevator
http://phys.org/news151938445.html http://nextbigfuture.com/2009/01/cambridg
e-making-carbon-nanotubes.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/space-elevator.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/space-elevator.htmlhttp://www.howstuffworks.com/space-elevator.htmhttp://www.howstuffworks.com/space-elevator.htmhttp://www.spaceward.org/elevatorhttp://phys.org/news151938445.htmlhttp://nextbigfuture.com/2009/01/cambridge-making-carbon-nanotubes.htmlhttp://nextbigfuture.com/2009/01/cambridge-making-carbon-nanotubes.htmlhttp://nextbigfuture.com/2009/01/cambridge-making-carbon-nanotubes.htmlhttp://nextbigfuture.com/2009/01/cambridge-making-carbon-nanotubes.htmlhttp://nextbigfuture.com/2009/01/cambridge-making-carbon-nanotubes.htmlhttp://nextbigfuture.com/2009/01/cambridge-making-carbon-nanotubes.htmlhttp://nextbigfuture.com/2009/01/cambridge-making-carbon-nanotubes.htmlhttp://nextbigfuture.com/2009/01/cambridge-making-carbon-nanotubes.htmlhttp://nextbigfuture.com/2009/01/cambridge-making-carbon-nanotubes.htmlhttp://nextbigfuture.com/2009/01/cambridge-making-carbon-nanotubes.htmlhttp://phys.org/news151938445.htmlhttp://www.spaceward.org/elevatorhttp://www.howstuffworks.com/space-elevator.htmhttp://www.howstuffworks.com/space-elevator.htmhttp://www.howstuffworks.com/space-elevator.htmhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/space-elevator.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/space-elevator.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/space-elevator.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/space-elevator.htmlTop Related