Apex Anchor: Full-Service Logistics Transportation Node at the Top of the Gravity Well
The old asteroid on the end of a rope idea has gone the way of carriages drawn by horses. Once the Modern-Day Space Elevator emerged in 2020, the concept of an active transportation node at the Apex Anchor became obvious. The enhancement of the roles at an Apex Anchor showed how it will become a Full-Service Transportation Node for several significant missions centered around the “Logistics Center at the top of the Gravity Well.” The capability to raise all manner of space system components and segments 100,000 km using electricity – as a Green Road to Space – enables assembly of major space missions only dreamt of before. The inherent rapid release velocity (7.76 km/sec) at an Apex Anchor – and the ability to release every day of the year towards any destination, such as the Moon, Mars and even Pluto – opens up the universe to humanity. These capabilities at the Full-Service Transportation Node led to enabling of missions such as:
A release point for interplanetary science missions with space systems of any size (assembled at the top of the gravity well) to any planet with daily windows.
Interplanetary human missions (after development of full Operational Capability) with space systems of any size to any planet with daily windows.
Interplanetary full-service logistics, storage and resupply capability with “just in time delivery”
Cis-Lunar full-service logistics, storage and release for supply missions with “just in time delivery”
Astronaut Rescue staging area with storage of necessary rescue material such as oxygen, habitats, water, rocket fuel, power, and food (only 14 hours from the Moon)
Planetary Defense asteroid detection sensors, with multiple 100,000 km tethers on each side of the Earth (206,000 km baseline) for stereoscopic vision of incoming asteroids from the Sun or out of the asteroid belts.
In addition, the storage of planetary defense spacecraft would enable rapid response to near-term threats within 24 hours. Flexibility of responses can be accomplished by storing, then rapid assembly of various defensive segments of planetary protection space systems, depending upon the threat. These capabilities also lead to a vision that is revolutionary and illustrates the impacts of these transformational characteristics. The Apex Anchor is a Full-Service Transportation Node driving the Space Elevators’ vision:
Space Elevators are the Green Road to Space while they enable humanity's most important missions by moving massive tonnage to GEO and beyond. This is accomplished safely, routinely, inexpensively, daily, efficiently, and they are environmentally neutral.