Graduation to Chief Architect!

by Peter A. Swan

As many of you already know, I have resigned from my role as President of ISEC. I am moving from President to Chief Architect, filling the role left vacant by our dear friend, Michael Fitzgerald. I will continue to contribute to our organization. The term graduate is one I like to use when transitioning from one role to another, as it implies the successful completion of many tasks and hopes for the future. As I have accomplished several graduations (school, military, corporate, and small company), I feel “good” about moving on and embarking on new challenges. I feel confident that the ISEC Board of Directors can achieve great things in the near future as well as long range. As Yogi Berra said: When you come to a fork in the road, TAKE IT!

I am taking on the challenge of starting and developing the Space Elevator Development Corporation (SEDevCo.) The hope is that it will grow into the huge mega-project we have been maturing for the last 22 years. I believe it is time to initiate an entity that will be challenged with maturing and then building something monumental. This accomplishment would lead to a better world. Our hopes for our Green Road to Space moving monumental mass and enabling movement off-planet will result in a transformational architecture with permanent infrastructures lifting off daily from multiple Galactic Harbours.

I would like to take with me a little “pat on the back” for a remarkable weekend in Los Angeles at the National Space Society’s International Development Conference and our participation. (See the article below for details.) This was a remarkable success with the participation of many ISEC members and board appearances. This outreach project inside ISEC included much and reached widely. Thanks to everyone who participated for your extra effort and involvement.

President's Corner

by Pete Swan

Significant Words

This last President’s Corner from me will once again emphasize the need to recognized and leverage the words of significance. Our outreach programs are now reaching further into the space community (and even reaching some congressional audiences). When we use words, they can be influential or counterproductive. As such, I thought a few short summaries would be beneficial as my last post. Words do matter and we must think about them as we share.

Recently, I woke up late at night, and recognized a thrust that we inside ISEC must push. We must initiate programs with the idea that Space Elevators are essential infrastructures which should be evaluated. It’s too early to say, “Give me $20 billion,” but maybe, $50 million towards development. As such, we must work towards acceptance of the concept and enthusiasm to investigate major developmental challenges.

The value of Space Elevators, as a permanent space transportation infrastructure, should overpower any hesitation to start research and development. Joined with advanced rockets inside a dual space access strategy, this green road to space will revolutionize opportunities throughout the solar system. We need to start without delay!

Now that we have a concept for our outreach programs [and in casual conversations], we should ensure we use words with power; words that influence; words that point to successes; words that can make a difference; words that move us away from rockets; and, words that can be remembered and passed on, such as:

Elevate… What we do!

Green Road to Space…Emphasis to be repeated often

Permanent Infrastructure…Represents similarity to trains, roads, bridges

Transportation System…Again – infrastructure vs single event

Dual Space Access Strategy…Join rockets in our movement off planet

Modern-Day Space Elevator…Represents 20+ years of study/designs – Ready now

Unmatched Efficiencies…70% liftoff mass to GEO/beyond vs rockets of 2%

Unmatched Velocity and Mass…Characteristics of permanent infrastructures

Assembly at Top of Gravity Well…Amazing strengths of Apex Anchor

Galactic Harbour…Transportation System [2 SE’s each]

Lift and Climb…vs launch and orbit

Let’s use our words with thought and reach further to help initiate the transportation system of the 21st Century!

Pete

Great Success at ISDC

Many of our newsletter readers were at the National Space Society’s (NSS) International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles over Memorial weekend. It was very successful from the view of ISEC. Five of our board members were actively involved with papers/panels and other events. [Last month we listed the speakers and panel members]. We now have three NSS Space Ambassadors (SA) inside our leadership group of ISEC. (NSS SA’s are the principal arm of their outreach program with each committing to present in their local areas during the year).

Each of our ISEC leaders presented at our technical session (see the pdf/PowerPoint slides available now on our website: https://www.isec.org/recent-publications; videos will be available soon) and participated in other events. Some were panel members on topics such as planetary defense, the Moon, Space Ambassadors, and others -- to include two hours of “speed mentoring”. We passed out about 200 of the International Academy of Astronautics Space Elevator Study reports [2014 and 2019]. In addition, all 950 attendees received [in their SWAG bag] an eight-page brochure on space elevators to stimulate their interest in the topic. 

Each day of the conference had a reception (the Saturday reception was sponsored by ISEC) where many attendees “hung around” and continued the discussions of the day. Each meal had a major speaker and awards given out to major players inside the NSS to include the “big one” to William Shatner [Capt. Kirk of the Star Trek original series] on Saturday night. [I really enjoyed his emotional presentation of his flight to space and his realization that the Earth was small and so very fragile.]

From the ISEC view, this event was a remarkable success with the attendance of many of our ISEC and board members. Thanks to everyone who participated for your extra effort and involvement!

As a notable anecdote: Larry Niven, a major author of science fiction, came into our Space Elevator technical session about 15 minutes in and stayed there until the end [2:00-6:00 pm on 25 May]. He then ended up at our table for dinner and sat next to Larry Bartoszek -- who is a huge fan! This resulted in the topic of Space Elevators being discussed for 15 minutes or so in the science fiction author panel the next morning. I love twists of fate!

Editor's Note: See over 25 images from ISDC on our Flickr site!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/isecdotorg/albums/72177720317479466/

Tether Materials

by Adrian Nixon, Board Member, ISEC

How Could We Use This Property
of Graphene Super Laminate?

Dear Reader, we have discovered another property of Graphene Super Laminate (GSL). At present we don’t have a specific use for this. Maybe you can out-think us?

As you know, GSL is the leading candidate material for the tether. While it has not been made at scale at present, it is just a matter of time before this is manufactured as an industrial material. In the meantime, we can use similar materials to investigate how GSL will behave. One of these is called Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG). Fig 1. Shows how this relates to GSL [1].

Graphene-van-der-Waals-homostructures

Figure 1. Graphite, Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite, and Graphene Super Laminate 

We looked at how a small sample of HOPG behaves in a magnetic field. This is what we found…

Diamagnetic-levitation-of-multilayer-graphene

Figure 2. Sample of HOPG levitating above neodymium magnets

Fig 2. Shows a centimetre square of HOPG floating above an array of neodymium magnets. The effect is strong enough to overcome gravity. However, I could easily press the HOPG sample down onto the magnets with my finger. So, overall, the effect is quite weak.

This effect is due to the spins of electrons in graphene. The following graphic, Fig 3. shows the two types of bonding in graphene pi (π) and sp2 covalent bonds. The electrons in both types of bonds are involved.

Electron-cloud-and-covalent-bonds-in-graphene

Figure 3. π and sp2 bonding in graphene

The HOPG sample in Fig 2. levitates due to diamagnetism. The magnetic field from the permanent magnets causes the alignment of spins of the electrons in the bonds within each graphene molecule. This generates another magnetic field that repels the one from the permanent magnets, and this causes the material to levitate [2]. We anticipate that GSL should have a stronger levitation response as the graphene layers are bigger and more coherent.

So, you now know that there is an interesting property for graphene laminates to levitate in a magnetic field. The effect is not a strong one, so we don’t have a specific use for this phenomenon in the space elevator context. Perhaps you, dear reader, may think of something that has eluded us…

References:

1. Nixon. A., 2021. The graphene and graphite landscape: Indications of unexplored territory. Nixene Journal, 5(10), pp.9-20

2. Inui. N., (2021). Numerical Study on Stability of Diamagnetic Levitation of a Single-Layer Graphene Sheet. Journal of Applied Physics, 130(18). doi: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0069250.

Space Elevator Conference 2024

The International Space Elevator Consortium will hold its annual, in-person conference in Chicago on Saturday, September 7th, and Sunday, September 8th.

Among other topics, we will be discussing the use of graphene for the space elevator tether, space elevator missions and functionality, and simulation and visualization of the space elevator. 

Join us to listen to the top voices in the Space Elevator community and to offer your input in our breakout sessions.

Please check our events page for more information.

Location: Aon building in downtown Chicago

Registration fee:

Act now! Super Early bird registration ends June 15. Receive $75 off the regular conference price. Pay only $200 for to participate in the premier Space Elevator Conference in the US!

Regular Conference price: $275 US per person (student and speaker discounts available)

Included in the fee:

+ Continental breakfast both days
+ Lunch both days
+ Engaging presentations about Space Elevators
+ Opportunity to engage in small break-out workshops

Accommodations:

  • We are very excited to offer a hotel rate of $249 per night at the Fairmont Chicago. Don’t delay; make your reservations by Friday, August 16 to reserve this rate!

  • The hotel link is included on the payment confirmation page and in the payment confirmation email.

Be a part of history and join us as we contemplate reaching space!

REGISTER NOW!

If you have any questions, please contact Karyn.Gleeson@ISEC.org, Conference Co-chair

Space Elevator Music

A poem by Dr. Don & Ellie Deever

To the stars we'd ascend with hopes soaring high,
On a space elevator, piercing the sky.
But there’s a peril, not found in the books,
Not aliens, meteors, or villainous crooks.

No, the biggest challenge, as we began to learn,
Wasn’t motion sickness or a concerning churn.
It's the endless loop that drones on and on,
Of the dreaded space elevator song.

Jazz flutes and xylophones in an eternal dance,
Making astronauts beg, “Give silence a chance!”
For two days straight, the same notes in your ear,
Driving brave spacefarers nearly to tears.

“Oh, I've trained for hardships,” one passenger cried,
“Black holes, radiation, and interstellar rides.
But this ceaseless tune, it's too much to bear!
Who chose this soundtrack for the cosmic stair?”

By day one’s end, some started to hum,
By the start of day two, their patience was done.
Dreams of floating in space, replaced with one wish:
To fling that darn speaker into the abyss.

Yet as they reached port, their spirits did lift,
For the silence of space was a beautiful gift.
But let this be a lesson for all of space’s heirs:
Watch out for the music on celestial stairs!

Solar System Space Elevators

by Peter Robinson

Part 2a: ASTEROIDS (AND CERES)

This is the second of a series of articles broadly based on a presentation I gave at a British Interplanetary Society Space Elevator Symposium in November 2017 titled “Solar System Space Elevators”.

Part 1 covered Mercury and Venus, concluding that neither were feasible locations for a conventional Space Elevator system. The next out from the Sun might be thought to be the Earth or the Moon (Luna), but I will cover ‘Asteroids’ next … there are a few within Earth’s orbit, though of course, the vast majority are beyond Mars in the main Asteroid Belt [1] as shown below.

Asteroid orbits

Image 1: Asteroids of the Inner Solar System and Jupiter. Source: Wikipedia, Public Domain

The largest body in the Asteroid Belt is Ceres, though in 2006 it was classified as a “Dwarf Planet”: the three largest ‘true’ asteroids are Vesta, Pallas and Hygiea.

I will summarise key physical characteristics for these four, plus two other asteroids.

Note, the number before each asteroid name denotes their historic order of discovery.

Figure 2: The four largest Asteroids. Vesta and Ceres were imaged by the Dawn spacecraft in 2011 & 2015, Pallas and Hygiea images are from Earth-based telescopes. Source: Wikipedia Commons

1-CERES

Basic Numbers:
- Diameter = 946 km (mean)
- Sidereal Rotation Period = 9.1 hours
- Gravitational Parameter = 6.27E+10 m3/s2
- Surface Gravity = 0.029 g

These numbers yield a Synchronous Altitude of 719 km.

Potential Tether and Anchor Mass parameters can be calculated if a number of parameters are assumed. With a 4 tonne climber accelerating from the surface at 0.5g, a constant tether cross-section of 12 mm3 and material density of 1440 kg/m3 the peak tether stress would be 1.72 GPa, around half the strength of Kevlar.

The tether length can have any value above the synchronous altitude, with the necessary Apex Anchor mass reducing as its altitude increasing: at an arbitrary height of 1500 km it would need to have a mass of 355 tonnes, with a total tether mass of only 26 tonnes.

4-VESTA

Basic Numbers:
- Diameter = 525 km (mean)
- Sidereal Rotation Period = 5.3 hours
- Gravitational Parameter = 1.73E+10 m3/s2
- Equatorial Surface Gravity = 0.025 g

These numbers yield a Synchronous Altitude of 282 km, significantly less than Ceres.

Potential Tether and Anchor Mass parameters can be calculated as before if a number of parameters are assumed. For the same climber and tether assumptions as Ceres the peak tether stress would be 1.67 GPa, again around half the strength of Kevlar. The lower synchronous altitude means the Vesta tether length can be far shorter than needed for Ceres: at an arbitrary length of 750 km the Anchor mass would be 215 tonnes, with a total tether mass of only 13 tonnes.

2-PALLAS

Basic Numbers:
- Diameter = 512 km (mean)
- Sidereal Rotation Period = 7.8 hours
- Gravitational Parameter = 1.41E+10 m3/s2
- Equatorial Surface Gravity = 0.022 g

These numbers yield a Synchronous Altitude of 400 km

Note, the orbit of Pallas is highly eccentric and inclined at over 34 deg to the ecliptic, making it less accessible to spacecraft.

10-HYGIEA

Basic Numbers:
- Diameter = 444 km (mean)
- Sidereal Rotation Period = 27.6 hours
- Gravitational Parameter = 5.79E+9 m3/s2
- Surface Gravity = 0.012 g

These numbers yield a Synchronous Altitude of 910 km.

The above describes basic parameters for the four largest asteroids, containing around half of the total mass of the entire asteroid belt.

Hundreds of thousands of other asteroids are known, with over 200 larger than 100km diameter, but I will only include analysis for two additional examples: 16 Psyche (the largest metallic asteroid, to be visited by the Psyche spacecraft from 2029) and 433 Eros (the second-largest near-Earth asteroid, visited by the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft in 1998).

16-Psyche imaged by the Very Large Telescope's adaptive optics system in August 2019 (left image).
433-Eros image, a mosaic of photos taken from NEAR Shoemaker while in orbit in 1998 (right image)

16-PSYCHE

Basic Numbers:
- Diameter = 200 km (approx.)
- Sidereal Rotation Period = 4.2 hours
- Gravitational Parameter = 1.82E+9 m3/s2
- Surface Gravity = 0.015 g

These numbers yield a Synchronous Altitude of 119 km, far lower than the earlier examples due to the higher rotation speed and lower mass.

433-EROS

Basic Numbers:
- Volume-Equivalent Diameter = 16.8 km (34.4 km long, 11.2 km wide)
- Sidereal Rotation Period = 5.27 hours
- Gravitational Parameter = 4.46E+5 m3/s2
- Surface Gravity = 0.0005 g
- Earth Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance = 0.15 AU

These numbers yield a Synchronous Altitude of 7.5 km.

This concludes Part 2a, ‘Asteroids – Introduction’.

It can be seen that ‘space elevator’ systems with tethers less than 1000km long could be built on all the example asteroids due to their low masses and fast rotation rates. This leaves questions such as:

- What might be the purposes, applications, and justifications for such systems?

- What are the benefits and drawbacks of having tethers significantly longer than 1000 km?

- What is an Orbital Siphon, and could one be used?

These will be addressed in Part 2b, ‘Asteroids – Conclusions’.

References:

[1] Asteroid pictures obtained from Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_belt

Research Note

by John Knapman

Geostationary orbit (GEO) is the point on the space-elevator tether where the force of gravity is equal and opposite to the centrifugal force due to rotating about the earth. Space stations and other structures, which we will call GEO stations, can be built there without adding a load onto the tether. People in these GEO stations will experience microgravity. If a space elevator has a daily lifting capacity of 14 tonnes of payload, over 10 years, it can lift 42,000 tonnes to GEO, assuming 300 days of productive service a year.

Figure 1. Building north and south from the tether

The easiest direction in which to build is east-west in the orbital direction, but we can also build north-south and above-below (along the tether, Figure 1). If we build north, a balancing structure must be built an equal distance south. There will be a small restoring force causing these structures to move back towards the tether. If we place a 1000-tonne station 10km north from the tether and a similar station 10km south, there will be a restoring force of 53N pulling each of them back towards the tether. 53N is a force of 5.4kg or 12 pounds. Only a slender structure will be needed to hold them apart.

Building along the tether will be covered next month.

Mathematics

The calculation of the force is as follows. The acceleration due to gravity that causes the force will be g sin⁡θ, where g=0.224m/s2 is the acceleration due to gravity at GEO and sin⁡θ=l ⁄D. D=42170km is the distance from the center of the earth, and l is the distance of the center of gravity of the station from the tether. If l=10km then g sin⁡θ=0.224×104 ⁄ 4.217×107 , which is 5.3×10-4m/s2. If the extension has a mass of 1000 tonnes (106 kg), the force directed towards the mid-point will be 530N.

History Corner

by David Raitt, ISEC Chief Historian

In my perusal of mentions of Jules Verne and space elevators in the May newsletter, I came across a third architect looking at space elevators (see History Corner in March 2024 - https://www.isec.org/space-elevator-newsletter-2024-march/#history). As part of his degree work within architecture at an advanced level in the School of Architecture and Community Building at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden in 2019, Texas Sparring covered the topic of a space elevator (http://kth.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1743969/FULLTEXT01.pdf).

Attributing the idea of the space elevator to Tsiolkovsky and Artsutanov and noting that the first time the concept appears in fiction was in Arthur C. Clarke's 1979 novel "The Fountains of Paradise," Sparring goes on the query whether fiction can become fact. He suggests that in our present day, there are numerous examples of previous fantasies becoming the benchmark of today’s scientific achievements. He opines this is something that began to occur in connection with the birth of science fiction -- notably H. G. Wells and Jules Verne (in whose book 'From the Earth to the Moon' they launched a spaceship using a large cannon) stand out, but they were both limited by the technology of their time.

Sparring then goes on to posit what are the basic conditions for a space elevator and what do we need? Just like Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, he wanted to connect to today’s technology as much as possible and bring it to its ultimate limit. He adds that since his thesis is supposed to be an architectural work, then it is a good approach to cover the technical and economic aspects in the beginning and then focus on the human and architectural aspects afterwards. He states that the components needed are: an anchor on the Earth, an anchor object in space, a tether, and also a station in space and a station on Earth plus a gondola that takes you between the stations.

These components are then discussed along with location (the Gulf of Guinea) and potential and benefits. He believes there are countless advantages to the space elevator - many of which have not even been invented yet. Following an interesting overview of space travel in films, he thinks that with the rising tension between global superpowers and the monetization of space, it is only a matter of time before some entity decides to build a space elevator. At the present, he says, both China and a Japanese private company are working on plans to construct a space elevator in the near future (2045 and 2050, respectively). He believes that space and the potential of its economic benefits should all be shared amongst mankind. There is a need for a shared global initiative to construct a space elevator because the first nation or company that builds it will, with great likelihood, have a monopoly of space due to all of the efficient benefits that comes with a space centre industry. A global initiative will also reduce the risk of militarization. This is the reason why he has chosen to design the base station and the gondola for human transportation focusing on space tourism. The base will be formed as a hotel and the gondola will be focusing on humans primarily rather than cargo. His work, which is well worth reading, is nicely illustrated with detailed designs of rooms in his flotel - part of the base station which includes a cargo harbour, garden, restaurant, and grand hall will be the last layover before leaving Earth and will thus be a reminder of what you are leaving behind!

Upcoming Events

8th Annual Nanotechnology Conference
Sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry
https://www.rsc.org/events/detail/77700/8th-annual-nanotechnology-conference-nanomat2024
Sunday, August 25th, through Wednesday, August 28th, 2024
Hotel Arcotel Wimberger, Vienna, Austria

Space Elevator Conference
Sponsored by the International Space Elevator Consortium and Slalom, Inc.
https://www.isec.org/events/isec2024
Saturday, September 7th, through Sunday, September 8th, 2024
Downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA

75th International Astronautical Congress
Sponsored by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF)
https://www.iafastro.org/events/iac/international-astronautical-congress-2024/
Theme: “Responsible Space for Sustainability”
Monday, October 14th, through Friday, October 18th, 2024
Milan, Italy

Xploration Conference and Expo
By Spaceport Norway
https://www.spaceport-norway.no/
November 12, 2024, through November 13, 2024
Oslo Event Hub, Oslo, Norway

International Space Development Conference 2025
Sponsored by the National Space Society
https://www.isec.org/events/isdc2025
https://isdc.nss.org/
Thursday, June 19, 2025 through Sunday, June 22, 2025
Space Elevator Session TBD
Rosen Center, Orlando, FL, United States

76th International Astronautical Congress
Sponsored by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF)
Monday, September 29th, through Friday, October 3rd, 2025
International Convention Centre, Sydney, Australia

77th International Astronautical Congress
Sponsored by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF)
https://iac2026antalya.com/
Theme: “The World Needs More Space”
Proposed Dates: October 5th through October 9th, 2026
Antalya, Turkey

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