Editor’s Note

Dear Fellow Space Elevator Enthusiast,

I recently learned of a young lady who, while not directly interested in space elevators, is definitely interested in space. Ten years ago, at age nine, Alyssa Carson (call sign: Blueberry) met astronaut Sandra Magnus who told her to follow her dreams. That was when Alyssa decided that she wanted to go to Mars. Currently, she is a college student studying astrobiology and is a general aviation pilot. She is on two Facebook pages, Alyssa Carson and NASA Alyssa Carson Fans, which is where I found this article published by AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.)

'NASA Blueberry' - AOPA

There you can read her impressive space camp resume and learn how she got her call sign of “Blueberry.”

Sandee Schaeffer
Newsletter Editor

President's Corner

by Pete Swan

We are Essential!

We all understand what that term means in today's pandemic world. I do not want to do anything but thank the "front line" participants with our war on COVID-19. But, I see the space elevator players of today as especially critical at this time. We have an opportunity to make a difference while two forcing functions are in play:  

  1. Humanity is moving off-planet

  2. The Space Elevator community has recognized that it can avoid the rocket equation AND assist in the "greening" of our planet.

Dr. John Mankins recently stated:

“Space Solar Power can solve our energy and greenhouse gas emissions problems. Not just help, and just take a step in the right direction, but solve.”

Mankins, J. The Case for Space Solar Power, Virginia Edition Publishing Co. Dec. 2013

As such, if we can contribute to the development of the Space Solar Power satellite constellation, we can "stop global warming." The beauty of this statement is that indeed, with our latest information about single crystal graphene (and other versions of the 2D materials) we project to be operational by the last half of the next decade. Their complex and huge venture will not arrive at production until the middle of that decade; however, it seems reasonable that we can contribute significantly to the greening of the planet. There are three aspects that are being developed by our 2021 ISEC study group entitled "Beneficial Environmental Impacts from Space Elevators." The first is that our development of a massive transportation system has a very low impact on the environment. The second is that our operations are carbon negative; and, the third is that we will enable several global missions that will improve the planet's environment (SSP, Solar Shade, high-level nuclear waste, and others). These three factors will be explained in detail upon completion of the research and the writing of the study report (March 2021?)

Leveraging Space Elevator capacity to move massive amounts of tonnage to GEO and beyond, without impacting the environment, will allow missions to exit the gravity well and ensures success. Can you imagine 5 million tonnes to GEO (Dr. Mankins’ estimate - Oct 2019 at IAC in Washington DC) when launching 21 tonnes per event (Starship's launch to GEO with no refueling)? The principle strengths of Space Elevators are daily/routine movement to GEO and beyond with carbon negative operations. The latest ISEC study report shows that the mature architecture (six tethers in three Galactic Harbours) will move 170,000 tonnes per year. In perspective, that truly ENABLES the Space Solar Power mission from GEO. Avoiding the gravity well, while being Earth friendly, and developing a transportation infrastructure will be critical to the Space Solar Power mission; and as such, to the betterment of the Earth's environment. 

Keep Climbing!

Pete

A New Vision for Space Elevators: We Need your Help! 

by Pete Swan

ISEC has matured greatly since its creation in 2008. We have grown in membership, with 12 study reports, 15 yearly conferences in Seattle, (oops -- we missed 2020, but planning on 2021) and involvement with multiple organizations around the world. Our vision throughout these building years has been:

A world with inexpensive, safe, routine, environmentally friendly, and efficient access to space for the benefit of all mankind.

With this motivation, I believe we have arrived on the stage, but we have not been invited "front and center." This next big step of involvement with the space arena is huge - we just need to be ready to JUMP.

As such, I believe we need to reflect this remarkable progress. We need your help! We would like to invite you to draft a short, concise - punchy - effective vision statement for Space Elevators (not limited to ISEC). The new environment includes our ability to:

  • Depart the Apex Anchor at great velocity

  • Support interplanetary missions (61 days, daily, massive)

  • Supply massive payloads daily (170,000 tonnes per year)

  • Create entrepreneurial enterprises along the Galactic Harbour

  • Enable new environmentally significant missions (Space Solar Power, Solar Shades, hi-level nuclear waste disposal, etc.)

  • Enable carbon negative operations for delivery to orbit

  • Exit the gravity well and avoid the rocket equation

  • And accomplish this daily, routinely, inexpensively and carbon negatively.

Along with our strengths, we need to "fit into," support, and especially enable the newly enhanced missions off planet. An example is:

ESA Director General Jan Wörner and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to take Europe to the Moon. (ESA Announcement 28 Oct 2020)

Others are Musk's plan to colonize Mars and Bezos's statement "I am building a road to space." Now, what does the new movement off-planet do to/for us as Space Elevator enthusiasts? I believe it reinforces our critical nature as participants in the future. If everyone wants to have their citizens living on the Moon (and Mars of course), massive movement of equipment needs to occur. We are the answer! I believe we need to have our vision inside the space elevator community one that is supportive of this historic achievement and brings us into this embryonic endeavor.

Fifty plus years after Apollo, the human race has decided to create a permanent presence on the Moon, in space, and on Mars. I suggest, our vision should be something like:

People living and working in thriving communities beyond the Earth, and the use of the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity.

Oops, that is the National Space Society's Vision. So, Maybe:

...to create a future where millions of people living and working in space

or:

We’re committed to building a road to space...

Oops, that is Blue Origin's Vision. Or maybe:

Making humans a multiplanetary species

Oops -- SpaceX!

As we discussed in our last study report, ISEC feels:

"The Space Elevator story is still being written. The Apex Anchor is where the Space Elevator meets the Shoreline of Outer-Space and Where the Transportation Story of the 21st Century meets the Final Frontier."

But what is our vision? I will be working on this over the next month and would love some ideas on how we should express our vision statement. Please contribute your ideas to me at: pete.swan@isec.org.

Update on the Climber-Tether Interface Study

by Dennis Wright

The 2021 ISEC study on the climber-tether interface is off and running. The study focusses on the way the climber grips the tether and seeks to determine what are the physics conditions that allow efficient climbing. The study is in the information gathering stage; relevant materials and concepts are being collected and evaluated.

Two main climber concepts are being looked at: friction-based traction and electromagnetic-based traction. The former depends on a sufficiently large coefficient of friction to allow gripping, while the latter depends on either high voltage across a small gap around the tether or a thick enough tether to support eddy currents.

The physics of materials plays a large role here. In many cases, the material parameters we need are not yet measured due to the early stage and rapidly developing research going on in both single crystal graphene and carbon nanotubes. One such example: properties of single sheets of single crystal graphene are becoming known, but the properties of multiple layers of single crystal graphene have, for the most part, yet to be studied. Going forward, our study will likely have to make estimates or extrapolations of these values in order to draw conclusions about how climbing will take place.

Space Elevator Conference

The yearly Space Elevator Conference (SEC) for 2021 is to be in concert with the National Space Society's International Space Development Conference (ISDC) at the Los Angeles Airport Sheraton. 

Dates are all still to be determined, but scheduled as:

SEC: Tuesday, May 25th through Wednesday, May 26th

ISDC: Thursday, May 27th through Sunday, May 30th, 2021

Both events to be held at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel, Los Angeles, CA, USA

The concept is that ISEC will be a main participant in the NSS activities that week. Our own conference will be prior to the ISDC with exciting events covering two years’ progress, as we skipped 2020. A full day space elevator session inside the ISDC (current plan); participation with students; an ISEC exhibit in the main hall; and learn about space activities outside space elevators. We are hoping to have a full conference on space elevators and then take that momentum into the NSS conference. Our conference themes will be focused on the Tether/Climber interface (our yearly study topic), Environmental Benefits of Space Elevators (2020 study to be complete by then), and another topic to be selected later.

The SpaceX plan for Mars Tonnage: An Update

by Pete Swan

Last week I joined a meeting of the Mars Society where Mr. Elon Musk talked for over 30 minutes about his fantastic plan to grow a colony on Mars. He approached the meeting with the belief that his mission for SpaceX is current and vectoring his company's developmental direction. When he explained everything, it all seemed real and achievable. I also believe in his vision: 100,000 to a million people living on Mars within his lifetime. He can make it happen and he is well on the way to developing his StarShip for the transportation segment. His StarShip is a remarkable design with full reusability and is becoming real.

He usually succeeds at what he sets out to do and I greatly respect that. In July of 2019, Mr. Musk stated he needed 1 million tonnes of cargo delivered to Mars. Last week, he expanded this plan to say that if he needs 1 million tonnes there, then he needs 5 million tonnes in Low Earth Orbit. Now, here comes the challenge...if he needs 5 million tonnes in LEO, then he needs 125 million tonnes on the launch pad to start the journey - the accepted estimate is 4% of pad mass gets to LEO by rockets due to the rocket equation. His approach will be less expensive and far more operationally efficient than past rocket programs. This update is remarkable in that SpaceX is well along the way and reflects the current thinking of his delivery approach to Mars (or the Moon, or GEO) by the traditional approach of massive rockets. Even with advanced rockets that are reusable and have the capacity for massive movement this is a huge undertaking. The number of launches from Earth still reflects the rocket equation's draconian impact.

In comparison, ISEC has been discussing the approach of Dual Space Access Architecture (advanced rockets and permanent infrastructure Space Elevators working cooperatively together) for the future of humanity's movement off planet and to Mars. The concept is: Rockets for people (fast through radiation belts and available in the near future) and Space Elevators for moving mass. One has to ask the question:

Can humanity depend only on a transportation infrastructure that delivers 4% (to LEO), 2% (to GEO), or 0.5% (to Lunar surface) of its original mass to its destination?

The idea is for rockets to develop an initial Mars Colony (Space Elevators will not be mature until about 2040) and then Space Elevators to supply the massive cargo needs of Mr. Musk. With an advanced architecture of Space Elevators, the tonnage sent to Mars can be 170,000 tonnes per year -- or about six years of six Space Elevator daily lift offs. Indeed, this approach enables the mission to avoid the gravity well for the majority of its cargo needs. Inside this realization that Space Elevators can move massive tonnage is the recently recognized ability to go to Mars rapidly (as fast as 61 days) with daily liftoffs towards Mars (no 26-month waiting period.) Indeed, the Dual Space Access Architecture combining the best of rockets and Space Elevators will ensure that humanity can reach for its dreams beyond LEO.

Upcoming Events

Space Elevator Conference

Dual Space Access Architecture
Sponsored by the International Space Elevator Consortium
https://www.isec.org/events
Tuesday, May 25th through Wednesday, May 26th (Immediately before the ISDC, below)
Sheraton Gateway Hotel
Los Angeles, CA, USA

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

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