Editor’s Note:

Dear Fellow Space Elevator Enthusiast,

Every year at the Space Elevator Convention, we have a presentation called “Space Elevators 101” where the basics are presented in a slide show for the attendees so that we are all starting on the same page. Of all the slides, this is the one that impacted me the most:

Support for Visionaries

“The flying machine which will really fly might be evolved by the combined and continuous efforts of mathematicians and mechanicians in from one million to ten million years”
The New York Times
9 October 1903
(Source: DARPA) 

“We started assembly today”
Orville Wright’s Diary
9 October 1903

I know that there are many detractors and naysayers, but we at ISEC fix our eyes on the stars and strive to build a space elevator to help get us there!

Sandee Schaeffer
Newsletter Editor

President's Corner

by Pete Swan

Beneficial Environmental Impacts of Space Elevators

As Michael Fitzgerald is apt to say, "This is the transportation story of the 21st century." Indeed, daily space elevator liftoffs with massive payloads going to GEO and beyond will be remarkable and revolutionize the global transportation infrastructure with its simplicity and benefits. In addition to the normally discussed benefits of reliable, routine, safe, and efficient access to space, its strength of benefiting the environment must also be recognized. Of course - one of the essential strengths of Space Elevators is its ability to improve the Earth's environment through a two pronged approach: (1) enabling missions that are beneficial to the Earth's environment -- such as the replacement of coal plants with space based solar electrical power to anywhere at anytime, and (2) Lifting payloads towards the stars without employing rocket engines for thrust. These strengths lead to the basic question of: how can the characteristics of Space Elevators enable missions of all types, while having little or no negative environmental effects on our planet? Space Elevators will not only lower emissions when payloads are lifted off the surface, but they will allow several missions in space that will improve Earth’s environment. One favorite mission of Mr. Jeff Bezos is to move hazardous manufacture off-planet. This concept will require massive payloads; however, the mission will result in improving the Earth's environment. ISEC is conducting a study to show the beneficial environmental effects of building, and daily use of, Space Elevators and what kind of missions can be accomplished to improve the Earth’s environment. The reality is that as humanity has decided to conduct off-planet activities, there is a tremendous need for logistical support for the movement of supplies and infrastructure with the transportation of people [especially with safe, low cost, and routine or daily liftoffs]. With these tremendous needs of the future goes the responsibility to ensure low environmental impacts while also providing positive environmental benefits from space elevator services.

Architecture Note #30

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

The Space Mosaic and the Galactic Harbour

I have a very close friend; a retired priest. Yes, a retired one; about as retired as I am.  At any rate, my friend is very wise; based on his experiences over the last 50 years or so.  His job was saving souls, and he was good at it.  About eight years ago, he said something to me that turned out to have a quite an impact.  I was engaged in a problem solving study for my Air Force; and was getting frustrated with it.   “Michael”, he said; “Stop looking at all those little pieces that are messed up or incomplete.  Think about the whole thing – the total mosaic.” 

Here I am today, explaining the development process to an incredibly smart group of people who believe fervently that the Space Elevator Transportation System is the answer.  What I am finding is that they see it is an answer to a number of different things, would be used by a number of different people, for a number of different purposes.  Huh?!  The point is that things, people, and purposes are the little pieces in the total mosaic that my retired priest/friend was talking about – the pieces make the mosaic.

Let’s try making some lists, and see what this mosaic of space might be with Galactic Harbours in the mosaic: 

Galactic Harbours – as Things

  • Space system

  • 21st Century Transportation system

  • Safe, efficient, reliable departure from Earth

  • Interplanetary travel system

Galactic Harbour People

  • Astronauts

  • Explorers

  • Entrepreneurs

  • Maintainers

  • First Responders

  • Government bureaucrats

  • Researchers

  • Galactic Harbour Purposes

  • Environmental preservation

  • Enterprise

  • Humankind’s venue to the solar system

  • Mining exotic materials

  • Protecting Earth’s Habitat

  • Going where no one has

Another impressive list, … still incomplete

There are undoubtedly dozens of additions to each list, and each deserve a discussion about how the Galactic Harbour can assist each of them as they pursue their future.  Each are unique, each are essential, each contribute to the Galactic Harbours, and each are members of the Space Mosaic. 

In Closing

I can hardly believe just how important this is. Thank you all.  Just saying. 

Fitzer

News from the GEIC

The Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC, pronounced like ‘geek’)

by Adrian Nixon

This is an extract from the journal about the Orbex space company with their graphene enchanced carbon fibre launch vehicle.

Nixene Journal

Earth Space Elevator First

by Pete Swan

I have loved the latest looks at the lunar space elevator.  Great "big thinking" and good analysis of the numbers.  As one who worked on lunar and Martian space elevators concepts, I endorse these studies.  We need to keep planning for strengths of long tethers anchored on other space bodies.  However:

The First series of Operational Space Elevators must be Earth based to defeat the principal challenge - escaping the Earth's gravity well.  The solution is routine, daily, inexpensive, safe, environmentally friendly and massive (14 metric tons per day) delivery to GEO and beyond.  The characteristics of Space Elevators need to be executed.

Although the lunar space elevator and Martian space elevators have a tether material presently available, there is no real mission purpose for them until there is massive movement off-planet supplying distributed localized missions.   Now that a material for Earth Space Elevator tethers has been shown to exist in the laboratory [single crystal graphene at 0.5 meter length] an Earth based Space Elevator becomes a near-term possibility.  “Yes, Graphene tether material really is possible within our lifetimes.”  [Nixon, A, “Last Piece of the Puzzle? Graphene,” ISEC webinar, 15 June 2019]

First, build space elevators on Earth, as a complementary lift infrastructure to rockets, and enable the growth of movement off-planet to one that is unstoppable and massive.  Then, develop the space elevators on other orbital bodies to receive mission payloads or support missions for those surfaces.  I like to think of this approach as a natural growth of transportation infrastructures similar to the historic parallel of bridge development:

As an example, development of railroad infrastructure first "bridged" across major rivers which were close to supplier bases that could deliver materials to build.  They then transported the materials and supplies to further distances and crossed smaller rivers reaching further and further with railroad infrastructure enabling growth.

"Major infrastructure at source of supplies FIRST!”

Start local - build outward!  Secondary local infrastructures on other celestial bodies will be completed when building supplies and people can be brought by initial major infrastructure enabling escape from Earth's gravity well.

Announcement:

EU space elevator challenge

 Upcoming Events

International Space Development Conference (ISDC)

https://isdc2020.nss.org/
Thursday, May 28th through Sunday, May 31st, 2020
Embassy Suites by Hilton Dallas-Frisco
Dallas, TX, USA

ISEC will have a Space Elevator track on Thursday starting at 10:00 AM and continuing until 5:00 PM.

New Strong Materials for Space Applications

https://www.bis-space.com/2020/02/06/23917/new-strong-materials-for-space-applications
Tuesday, July 7
Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC)
Manchester, UK

European Space Elevator Challenge (EUSPEC) 2020

https://euspec.warr.de/
Monday, September 14 through Thursday, September 17th, 2020
Technical University, Garching Campus
Munich, Germany
Team registration ends April 30th

International Astronautical Congress

http://iac2020.org/
Monday, October 12th through Friday, October 16th, 2020
Dubai World Trade Center
Dubai, UAE