Editor’s Note

Dear Fellow Space Elevator Enthusiast,

I hope you like surfing the internet because my editorial is chock full of places to go and people to see. 

I have good news about the The 71st International Astronautical Congress (IAC) that was previously cancelled. It has now gone virtual, so, not only is it not cancelled, it is now available to those who can’t travel to Dubai! See link below, in the Upcoming Events section of this newsletter.

Real Engineering has a video about the possibility of Space Elevators that does a good job of explaining how they might be feasible.

Forbes has published an article by Scott Snowden featuring Adrian Nixon.

And, speaking of Adrian, Nixene Publishing has added a new video to their You Tube Channel of his presentation at the W Hotel in Washington DC last year for the American graphene summit where there were industry leaders, policy makers, and various political influencers in the audience. The sound is very low so get headphones and crank it up!

Sandee Schaeffer
Newsletter Editor

President's Corner

by Pete Swan

2021 Research Project will start in September

While you are sitting in isolation with less outside activities, maybe you could catch up on your reading - about space elevators.  Yeah, a challenge during our pandemic that could help us move forward.  The chart below points out the many studies completed and underway by ISEC with the two IAA reports and an Obayashi architecture.  The challenge for each of you is to help the board figure out how to best approach the new study announced this month.  We, the board of director, have identified the topic for 2021.  We usually finalize our choice for a year-long research by mid August.  We continue this year - the topic chosen for the 2021 Study Topic is: “The Space Elevator Climber-Tether Interface.”

Here is a list of past studies:

2021 Beneficial Environmental Impacts of the Space Elevator - in work

2020 Space Elevators are the Transportation Story of the 21st Century

2020 Today's Space Elevator Assured Survivability Approach for Space Debris

2019 Today's Space Elevator, Status as of Fall 2019

2018 Design Considerations for a Multi-Stage Space Elevator

2017 Design Considerations for a Software Space Elevator Simulator

2016 Design Considerations for Space Elevator Apex Anchor and GEO Node

2015 Design Considerations for a Space Elevator Earth Port

2014 Space Elevator Architectures and Roadmaps

2013 Design Considerations for a Space Elevator Tether Climber

2012 Space Elevator Concept of Operations

2010 Space Elevator Survivability, Space Debris Mitigation

The completed studies are available for download at: www.isec.org/studies.

Other Study Reports related to the Space Elevator

2019 The Road to the Space Elevator Era - IAA

2014 Space Elevators: An Assessment of the Technological Feasibility and the Way Forward - IAA

2014 The Space Elevator Construction Concept by the Obayashi Corporation

Keep Climbing!

Pete

July Webinar Results

Third ISEC Webinar Presented

On Friday, July 17th, Dennis Wright of ISEC presented a lecture-style webinar on the physics of space elevators. The talk was aimed at a general audience and addressed some of the questions people have about space elevators:

  • What holds the space elevator up?

  • What will the tether look like?

  • What happens when the space elevator is disturbed in some way?

  • How do the motions of tether climbers affect the tether?

  • How do the atmospheric, electromagnetic and radiation environments in which the space elevator operates affect its motion?

The webinar started with the basic idea of static support: how an object is suspended given that the suspending wire has significant mass. Dynamic behavior was added to the mix, showing how the space elevator automatically stabilizes itself against most external forces. The space elevator climber was shown to induce oscillations which must be controlled in order to maintain space elevator stability. Finally, the Earth's magnetosphere, radiation fields and space debris were discussed, both as they effect space elevator motion and climber cargo or passengers.

There was good audience participation during the several pauses for questions and multiple-choice quizzes. Most of the questions were answered either by Dennis or by attending ISEC experts via the chat window.

This was the third in the ISEC webinar series. In case you missed it, or any previous webinar, or want to review it for more details, Dennis' talk is posted now at https://www.isec.org/recorded-webinars.

The next ISEC webinar will concern space elevator architectural engineering and be presented by Michael (Fitzer) Fitzgerald. It will take place on Friday, August 28th starting at 14:00 UTC. To sign up, use the link in the "August Webinar" article, below.

World Space Week

World Space Week happens every year, October 4-10, and this year our UK partner organization the BIS is compiling a Quiz for Students and the general public.  We would like to take the opportunity to include a few ‘Space Elevator’ questions, can you help?  Please send your questions (with answers!) to peter.robinson@isec.org. He will then compile them and send them on to the BIS. We are told that they “…will take both long and short questions, the secret is to ensure that the answers are relatively short and not open to debate.”

This will be a great opportunity to encourage a young and wide audience to think more about the Space Elevator, and maybe even join us!

ISEC Study Report Published

Space Elevators are the Transportation Story of the 21st Century

Three of our messages are pretty straightforward:

  • The Space Elevator will change the way we do interplanetary (and GEO for missions such as Space Solar Power)

  • The future needs an appropriate architecture for space access, containing two major components - SE permanent transportation infrastructure and rocket portals

  • The Space Elevator is ready for Prime Time - Lets get started

Some of the insights gained while creating this report are:

  • A NEW Paradigm has emerged - Space Elevators can be accomplished because we now have a material

  • Space Elevators ENABLE Interplanetary Missions

    • Fast Transit to Mars (as short as 61 days, with variations out to 400+)

    • Can release towards Mars EVERY day (no 26 month wait)

    • Can move massive amounts of cargo (180,000 Tonnes/year to GEO-beyond)

  • Space Elevators are Earth Friendly (report being developed)

  • New Promise to all future scientists - Any size science experiment to any solar system destination - released every day

Transportation Story of 21st Century

Leonard David (writer for Space News) has summarized the ISEC 2020-2 study report “Space Elevators are the Transportation Story of the 21st Century,” on his website: http://www.leonarddavid.com/space-elevators-21st-century-transportation-story/

Upcoming Webinar

August Webinar

Have you ever wondered what a space elevator architect does?  Find out on August 28th at 14:00 UTC, when Michael “Fitzer” Fitzgerald presents a webinar "Architecture Engineering for the Space Elevator." Fitzer is ISEC's chief architect and is responsible for the "grand plan" for space elevator development, from concept to full operation.

Larger in scope than even a system of systems, the plan involves progressive segments which guide project chiefs in the development of their respective systems and yet is flexible enough to allow the inevitable changes brought about by new ideas and advances in technology.

For those of us used to working on projects of smaller scope, this talk will likely re-adjust your thinking.  Hence, there will be ample time for questions after the talk.  

The webinar is free of charge, but you do need to register.  Please go to: https://www.isec.org/events/webinar-august-28th-2020-architecture-engineering.

If you choose, prepare ahead of time for the Webinar by reviewing Fitzer's Architectural Notes #6, #7, and #8 for a sequence of development. They can be found on the website at: https://www.isec.org/architects-notes.  

Online Workshop for ISEC Members

ISEC is trying something new this year. As a benefit to our active members and as a way to maintain the social and professional contacts which usually take place at our Seattle conference, we are inaugurating a members-only online workshop. On Friday, October 9th we will have a two-hour meeting on Zoom consisting of talks, updates and our famous brain-storming session, this year focusing on the space elevator climber-tether interface. At the end of the meeting we will have an open-mic session of unstructured discussion so you can renew old contacts, make new ones, or talk about anything that comes to mind.

Remember, though, this is only for ISEC members.  If you are not a member and want to participate, you still have plenty of time to join. Just go to https://www.isec.org/membership and sign up.

Architectural Note #32

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

Testing a Megaproject

Now that we know what a Galactic Harbour is … How do we test it, and see if it works?

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

We are certain, the Galactic Harbour can be built but …

I remember it well. It was October 1973 and I was in front of the TV watching the Oakland A’s and the New York Mets in the World Series. I was also assembling the crib for our first child. Kathy was asleep. She needed to be ready. It was only a couple weeks until Brian would arrive. The World Series ended (Oakland won), and I was pushing the complete and operative crib down the hall to the “baby’s room.” All was well…until…It didn’t fit through the door into the room! I knew I could re-assemble it, but,…ah, the lessons of life!!

In a similar way -- Yes, we are certain that a Galactic Harbour can be built. We have our way for building each and every piece of it.   Yet…A quick review of the ISEC Position Paper # 2014-1 “Space Elevator Architecture and Roadmaps” reveals the scope of testing:

  • The Earth Port - 4 Major Demonstrations

  • Tether Segment - 3 Major Demonstrations

  • Tether Climber - 8 Major Demonstrations

  • Apex Region - 9 Major Demonstrations

  • HQ / POC - 4 Major Demonstrations

In addition to these 38 major demonstrations, the testing activity in the GEO Region will be immense. The GEO Region has been defined since the 2014 report and must be active prior to the deployment of the Seed Tether. The GEO Region will be home to a fleet of test support MicroSats and CubeSats supporting the deployment and Limited Operations activity cited in the ISEC sequence discussion. (See Architecture Notes #6,7,8).

Test Taxonomy -- can you count that high?

Each of the 38 Major Demonstrations will be large and complex. Many of the tests will be conducted in orbit, mostly at GEO. Some will be conducted at LEO to enhance observation from ground sensing. Some will be conducted in the debris zone (for obvious reasons) and some will be conducted in the environmental zone. It is likely that a number of tests will be conducted with high flying weather balloons.

But the real scope of testing is revealed when we understand that each of the 38 major demonstrations sits atop a taxonomy of other testing: component testing, risk reduction tests, internal interface testing, hardware in the loop testing, software in the loop testing, failure mode and effects testing, and test data collection checks. I would estimate that three to four thousand tests and retests will be conducted, and easily one third of that number will be field tests or on-orbit tests. We probably ought to figure out that number.

Testing for alternate engineering validation

As long as we are thinking about numbers, remember that in some of the segments there will be alternate engineering approaches being considered. Those considerations will require testing for the sake of comparing one alternative with another. This is especially true for integration testing, such as the classic “thread testing”. Thread testing is needed to confirm that the various segments can operate together, and when one segment must change its operation (e.g. slowdown); the other segments must accommodate. Those tests are exciting!!

Testing for the unknown unknowns

Within the simple rule of life -- “We don’t know what we don’t know -- we have a lot of work to do. We will have test failures that are not understood. We will have “random successes” that will haunt us for months. We must be sure that our various simulators are simulating the same thing we are testing.

Where are we going to test?

Here is a topic that will occupy our politician and diplomatic friends for a long time. I speak from experience. I figure we need to do a lot of the field testing over the ocean, probably the Pacific. Wherever our test range is -- it must be accessible for the monitoring and management of the test events. It must be safe. Assets must be available to respond to tests gone awry and to recover assets for analysis. The logistics of managing the test range when multiple tests are underway will be…interesting.

In Closing

There is more to say but, you get it. I did not intend to answer questions with this note. Rather, I wanted the team to start thinking about it. As stated above, I don’t know what I don’t know. More to come.

Fitzer

Upcoming Events

Architecture Engineering for the Space Elevator

Webinar sponsored by ISEC
Register at: https://www.isec.org/events
Friday, August 28th, 2020 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM UTC

World Space Week

Sunday, October 4th through Saturday, October 10th, 2020
https://www.worldspaceweek.org 

European Space Elevator Challenge (EUSPEC) 2020

https://euspec.warr.de/
****Postponed****

71st International Astronautical Congress—The CyberSpace Edition

Monday, October 12th through Wednesday, October 14th, 2020
http://iac2020.org/

International Space Development Conference (ISDC)

Sponsored by the National Space Society
https://isdc2021.nss.org/home/
Thursday, May 27th through Sunday, May 30th, 2021
Sheraton Gateway Hotel
Los Angeles, CA, USA

72nd International Astronautical Congress

Sponsored by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF)
http://www.iafastro.org/events/iac/iac-2021/
Monday, October 25th through Friday, October 29th, 2021
Dubai World Trade Center
Dubai, UAE

New Strong Materials for Space Applications

Sponsored by the British Interplanetary Society
****Postponed****

SPECxROC 2020: Japan

http://www.jsea.jp/technology/specxroc/000529.html
****Postponed****
Sponsored by the Japanese Space Elevator Association

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