Editor’s Note

Dear Fellow Space Elevator enthusiast,

Another full newsletter is here! We don't anticipate much activity over the holiday season so the ISEC Space Elevator Newsletter will be taking a break. We will be skipping January and start the new year with the February 1st issue. We hope you don't miss us too much! But then, absence makes the heart grow fonder!

In the October issue, I sent a list of articles pertaining to the Obayashi cubesat experiment. As of today, there still are no results posted, but there still is some buzz going around on the internet about it and the future of Space Elevators. Try this article from Second Nexus (thanks to Peter Robinson for Tweeting this one.) And progress is being made in the scientific field regarding Carbon Nanotubes. Read about what's happening in China in this article from the South China Morning Post (with thanks to Ted Semon for pointing it out!)

In this issue: our President, Pete Swan, will talk about getting a SEAT at the table.

The next Architectural note comes your way from our Space Elevator architect, Michael Fitzgerald. Can you believe we are up to #23? I bet he can't!

In the last issue, Pete Swan introduced you to our newest Lead, Peter Robinson. He makes his first contribution as our new Lead Project Engineer for Climbers!

We have more for you about the Space Elevator Conference. In last month's newsletter, John Knapman covered question #1 from the Mini Workshop about Prototyping. This week, he provides the answers given to the second question by members of the brainstorming group that discussed how funds should be distributed should they become available!

Our Harbor Master returns with another installment on his vision for the Earth Port. He predicts that Artificial Intelligence will replace personnel in operating and monitoring the fleet of Ocean-going vessels entering and leaving the vicinity of the tether terminus.

We will also introduce you to our other intern from last year, Matthew Dupree, and learn what his contribution was to ISEC this year that earned him $500!

Scroll down for details!

Please don’t forget to LIKE US on Facebook, FOLLOW US on Twitter, and enjoy the photos and videos that we’ve posted on Flickr and YouTube, all under our Social Identity of ISECdotORG.

Thank you for reading and lending your support in the development of Space Elevators!

Sandee Schaeffer
ISEC Newsletter Editor

President’s Corner

by Pete Swan

A Seat at the table

A friend of mine recently gave a speech at a large corporate outing that centered on the intriguing idea that what one needs most is a seat at the table. A Seat at the Table is a concept while SEAT is an acronym for Secure, Engagement, Aspiration, and Time. As you know, Secure is a great feeling, one which you have had in the following cases:

  • A seat at the childs table at the family gathering part of the family!

  • A seat on the bench within a sporting event a member of the team!

  • A seat in the graduate class in college on your way to being recognized!

  • A seat in the leadership group at work they are asking for your advice!

  • A seat on the board of an organization they want your leadership!

This simple concept has tremendous power when applied to your current situation. Where are you in your life's path? Which table allows you to be a part of the team, even a member of leadership? Engagement is essential to move forward. If we apply it to the ISEC   we can see that we already have:

  • A seat in the science fiction arena.

  • A seat in research arenas, such as advanced materials and power.

  • A seat in major gatherings such as the International Space Development Conference and the International Astronautical Federation's Congress.

  • A seat within discussions for the future of space travel.

And then Aspiration is the hope to progress further. However, we do not have the seats that would start our real journey to build the space elevator infrastructure around the globe. We need to focus our energies, show our aspirations while we try to gain access to:

  • A seat with entrepreneurs in the space field.

  • A seat within government plans to expand to the Moon and Mars.

  • A seat within commercial ventures going off planet.

  • A seat within a company building the first space elevator.

We at ISEC indeed have a seat at several tables where we can launch engagements with external organizations vital to our future. In addition, our mission shows that we have hopes for the future with significant growth towards a goal of Space Access for All. With the final letter expressing the concern of Time, the acronym is filled out. Let us hope that our search for the next several seats at the table will take us closer to a completed transportation infrastructure that will greatly enhance humanities movement off planet.

Keep Climbing my Friends,

Pete

Architecture Note #23

Space Elevator Transportation System
Do you know the way to Anywhere?

by Michael A. Fitzgerald
Senior Exec VP and Co-Founder
Galactic Harbour Associates, Inc
Space Elevator Transportation & Enterprise Systems

Personal Prolog

This is an Architecture Note. It is the opinion of the Chief Architect. It represents an effort to document ongoing science and engineering discussions. It is one of many to be published over time. Most importantly, it is a sincere effort to be the diary, or the chronicle, of the multitude of our technical considerations as we progress; along the pathway developing the Space Elevator.

Michael A. Fitzgerald

Background

Before I ran off to the Air Force, I was kind of a rocker; at least as much as my small transistor radio allowed. It was the early ‘60’s, and most people alive these days might not have full appreciation what musical messages were delivered via that radio. I delivered newspapers and that daily chore allowed the real news to get to me as I walked slowly listening to the tinny sounds from WMLP; Milton, PA. Over my small gadget, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper dying in that plane crash; first versions of Bob Dylan blowing in the wind, and Barry McGuire screaming about the Eve of Destruction. It all came through (not so) loud, yet clear.

By the late ‘60’s, I had graduated from the Air Force Academy and was on my way to Vietnam. One song at that time was “Do you know the way to San Jose” and its simple refrain was about getting back home. This song and recollection made me ponder.

The Space Elevator lets you go anywhere

I am sitting in Los Angeles and getting to San Jose is easy; just go north of the 405 freeway and catch the 101 freeway going north. From Salt Lake City, head west to Oakland and swing south--can’t miss it. But, this is a note about the Space Elevator, right? Exactly. Do you know the way from the Space Elevator Apex to anywhere?

One of the major benefits of a Space Elevator is the energy that can be used by just being released from the Apex. The Apex is moving along at a rate based on the spinning Earth to which it is attached. Calculations show that velocity is nearly 8 kilometers per second. That speed is the galactic free ride to anywhere; except you need to know the way.

I can imagine the lilting voice of Dionne Warwick calling out…Do you know the way to Mars? The answer I got from a friend was YES! Every 26 months the Earth is in position to launch a rocket into a thrust efficient Hohman transfer orbit that will get you to Mars; in 8 plus months…Oh, Jeepers!! So, if you miss the ride to Mars, you wait another 26 months? Getting home for Christmas would take on a whole new meaning! It seems like some better answers should be out there; and we should get someone to figure out some other ideas. The Mars settlers can’t wait 26 months.

The way to San Jose can be as important as Anywhere

Leaving the Space Elevator Apex to our destination has some important, supportive attributes. Everything released from the Apex has that free velocity. It is like free chips at a casino, or a $10 coupon for a price reduction off your final bill at the store. It isn’t much if you don’t use it right. Our trick is to use it to get to the destination. This galactic free velocity applies to most any mass at the Apex. Big mass departures get nearly 8 kilometers per second. Small masses get the same velocity.

Our departure from the Apex needs to be effectively aimed. The highways in Space are the orbits of the heavenly bodies. To approach a destination safely and sensibly you approach it on the same plane as the destination’s orbit; they call it “coplanar”. Then one must understand the orbit itself. One can be coplanar with the destination but if the velocities are different--you are in different orbits. After the space guys figure all that out--they will need to figure out how to get into an orbit around our destination; like our moon orbits around Earth. All these steps are accomplished by velocity changes. Even changes in “direction” are accomplished with velocity and vector changes. The point of all this self-embarrassment is that the Space Elevator can put 8 kilometers per second on account. That velocity can be used to get mass of any size from the Apex to the destination.

But, when do we leave the Apex? Our direction changes as the APEX spins with the Earth. If I had missed that bus home for Christmas, and 26 months of waiting was in the offing--I would take another bus elsewhere--indeed anywhere! Anywhere? I have heard that before.

As long as we are getting help with planes, planar crossings, coplanar approaches, orbits, departure times, vectors, and velocities to approach our destination, we might as well ask for a list of destinations. Let’s see…the Moon, Mars, several asteroids, moons around Mars, and probably more destinations. Sort of like an interplanetary bus schedule, with different information columns; velocities needed, departure times, plane changes, duration of trips, and so on.

In closing,

We are imagining the galactic ride to anywhere and everywhere.

Fitzer

Thoughts on Climber Engineering

by Peter Robinson

Many thanks to Dr Swan for confirming my appointment as ISEC Lead Project Engineer, I hope I may be able to fulfil at least some of the role expectations.

An Earth Space Elevator has been compared with the US transcontinental railroad of the 19th century: both are massive infrastructure projects that will open up new lands for colonisation and develop industries that could not be conceived by their builders. Railroad construction was enabled by the massive price reduction of steel that resulted from the Bessemer process, and in a similar way the Space Elevator will be enabled by low cost mass production of some high-strength material. The material invention could perhaps be a 'Laubscher Furnace' or a 'Nixene Mill', but whatever the process, it will drive a new carbon-based industrial revolution and result in a worldwide transformation of manufacturing.

The railway analogy can also be applied to the elevator climber. Any rail locomotive design is specific to the design of the track, and similarly the elevator climber design will be specific to the tether. That said, the railroad track design was not defined in isolation; it allowed the construction of a matching locomotive that could be engineered using 19th century technology...a monorail or an evacuated tube would not have worked! Similarly, the specification of the elevator tether must take into account feasible climber design options. The current ISEC tether concept is for a one-metre curved ultra-thin ribbon, optimised for tolerance to debris impact, but can we be certain this is the optimum configuration for a practical climber? What is certain is that nothing can be finalised until viable tether material properties are known.

What can be done is explore the climber options that have been proposed to date and review them against possible tether properties and climber operational requirements   that will be my task over the next few months. I hope to be able to write a report in the first half of 2019 and will include recommendations on how we can move forward given our limited funding status. I will NOT be designing a climber!!

I cannot do the work without your help: I need to read every published (and unpublished) article, paper or presentation that includes climber engineering proposals. I am especially interested in any text that discusses the drive interface with the tether; this appears to be the most challenging area and will be key to any climber concept. Please contact me on peter.robinson@isec.org with any material or thoughts that could help me in this task.

Peter Robinson: ISEC Lead Project Engineer, Climbers

Mini Workshop

Friday, 17th August 2018, during the Space Elevator Conference

by John Knapman

Here is the second report from the mini workshop on the subject of this year’s ISEC report, which is on the multi-stage space elevator. It addresses question number 2:

What should the funding balance be between strong materials and multi-stage technology?

  • Suppose we had $1 million, $10 million or $100 million?

Funding Balance

Overall and General Group Thoughts:

1.  Strong materials   if you have the materials development close to completion, then you wouldn’t need to do a multi-stage.

2.  Do you spend the money on research or on final completion?

3.  Find the criteria for how much we should put towards A or B? Society can always use materials for other applications.

4.  It would be great if we could have only one stage   that way you can build it quicker out of weaker materials.

5.  Modular self-assembling systems   something that could build itself from the ground up is really interesting.

6.  One of the problems with the modular systems is that it can fall if it’s ever turned off.

7.  Most of the money should go towards materials development, because the stronger the material gets, the lower you can bring the tether down towards the earth.

    • Do you build it in house or out of house? Spread the interest around the world.

8.  How do we spend the money? If you start doing something today or later with stronger materials?

9.  The first ambit will not launch anything into space and is ready to support the thing above it.

10.  Can it be made strong enough to turn it into a LEO launch platform?

11.  Additional commercial value to getting to space: tourism, research, enterprise, solar power, space-shipyard.

12.  Specifically aimed at holding up the tether below it.

13.  But if you’re waiting for that then you’re vastly extending the timeline.

Individual Scenarios:

What are the criteria of how to spend the money between Materials (A) and Multi-stage (B)?

1.  What is best for humans: how good it is for humans as a species?   and 90% into Materials, 10% into multistage. There is so much more that we can intrinsically benefit from by having strong materials within the context of the space elevator. 10% into multi-stage development because investors never put all their money in one bucket   diversification of risk. Space elevator becomes the carrot at the end of the stick.

2.  If we have a viable Lofstrom loop already, it lowers the risk of Multi-stage considerably; the technology risk is gone. You’re adapting existing technology to a new application. 75% into Multistage, and 25% into Materials development, because then it can help lower the overall cost down the timeline faster. Demonstrated technology.

3.  What if we have to get to space now   alien attacks, asteroid impact, etc.   assuming not rockets: tough question. The high was 80% multi-stage and 20% materials development since we have existing technologies now that might be able to get us there. But that went all the way to 50/50 because there are other ideas that can be combined to make the multistage concept a reality. Another thought: build the rotating tethers approach.

4.  Which would attract the most money down the road?

Contributors: Ruth, Nigel, David, Bryan, David, Drew

EARTH PORT Update #11

by Vern Hall

Following this year’s Conference in Seattle, which I was unable to attend, I have continued to work with ISEC’s Chief Architect to further develop the details of the Galactic Harbour’s Earth Port segment with particular emphasis on the Floating Primary Operations Platform (FOP) element. This year’s ISEC study: “Design Considerations for a Software Space Elevator Simulator” is an encouraging step forward. Hopefully, in the near future, such simulations can produce definitive and verifiable results regarding the system dynamics for the tethers and climbers at the floating Tether Terminus Platform(s). At that point, we can then further define the functional and physical characteristics of the connection points for these key facilities in the Space Elevator system.

As previously mentioned, I have continued to review reports of advances in the overall transportation industry that may be adapted to the operations of the Earth Port. I have been somewhat amazed by the accelerated pace of these advances during 2018. What was considered tentative and futuristic last year is now being taken as definitive and current.

As described in ISEC’s Position Paper #2015-1 “Design Characteristics of a Space Elevator Earth Port” and subsequent studies, the Earth Port will be home to a “fleet” of OGV’s or Ocean Going Vessels. This fleet of marine vessels may include: small container ships, ocean-going tug/barge combinations, off-shore service vessels, high-speed ferries, harbor tugs with firefighting capabilities, high-speed patrol boats and “Zodiac”-type utility boats. Current advances in Artificial Intelligence systems are leading to prototype autonomous ships of all sizes and capabilities. It seems likely that these IA technological breakthroughs could be readily adapted to the service vessels that will be operating within the Earth Port region. This would lead to a significant reduction in the number of traditional marine tradesmen (“sailors”) required for the Earth Port. However, it would probably require additional specific equipment and specialized personnel to maintain the electronic systems associated with these “robotics.” Using autonomous vessels would also require additional monitoring, command and control systems (and personnel) within the Floating Operations Platform’s on-board Command Center.

Vern Hall, Earth Port Harbor Master

Matthew Dupree

Completes 2018 International Space Elevator Consortium’s Summer Internship

by Pete Swan

Matthew Dupree

Mr. Dupree is an Engineering Student at the University of California at Santa Barbara. During his summer internship, he produced a short thesis continuing research toward a software space elevator simulator. He also interviewed Dr. Dennis Wright with reference to his contributions within the space elevator community.

Title and Abstract follow:

“Research into software and future technologies for space elevator simulation”

Introduction--Never has an engineering project been successfully undertaken without some idea of how it would work and a reasonable expectation that it would, indeed, function properly. Since the advent of the information age, this expectation has been fulfilled by simulations   computer approximations created to prove within given statistical boundaries that a given design would survive the rigors of the real, physical world. In this report, I intend to continue the International Space Elevator Consortium’s (ISEC’s) previous work: “Design Considerations for a Software Space Elevator Simulator.” I explore in detail the relevant capabilities of Wolfram Mathematica, the platform most highly recommended by the previous work. I also consider SageMath, the other recommended software platform, and a similar platform often used elsewhere in science and engineering called MatLab. Finally, to accelerate the developed simulation for use in real­time control of a physical space elevator (so-called digital twinning), I explore the potential for our project of two upcoming technologies that may ultimately outperform these digital simulations.


Volunteers Wanted

In our modern world, the web and social media are the most common ways that people get their news and information about, well, everything!  ISEC wants to take fuller advantage of this trend to reach new audiences that we haven't been able to before, and spread the word about space elevators.

If you are excited about space elevators (as we know you are!) and are savvy in how to use web and social media tools, we want to talk with you!  We have the following volunteer positions open at ISEC:

  1. ISEC Social Media Guru -- We are looking for someone to help us drive further engagement with current and new space elevator enthusiasts in the social media arenas of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. We would love to have someone come on board to help us maximize the use of these technologies.

  2. ISEC Board Member for Web and Social Media efforts -- We are looking for a liaison between the ISEC Board of Directors and the Webmaster, Newsletter, and Social Media Guru. This person could also help out with any special efforts along these lines as they want. Being on the ISEC Board means that you can influence what topics we study and how we go about educating the larger public about all the benefits of space elevators.

If either of these sound interesting, please send email to sandee.schaeffer@isec.org, with your interest!

Thanks!

Sandee Schaeffer,
Newsletter Editor

Upcoming Space Elevator Related Events:

International Space Development Conference
Washington, D. C.
June 6-9, 2019

International Astronautical Congress
Washington, D. C.
October 21-25, 2019