Universe Today

The 2009 Space Elevator Games ran from November 4-6, and there is a winner! LaserMotive from Seattle took home the Level 1 prize of $900,000. Three teams competed for the $1.1 million and $900,000 prizes in this year's event: LaserMotive from Seattle, the Kansas City Space Pirates, and the University of Saskatchewan Space Design Team (USST). Read more…

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BREAKING NEWS: LaserMotive successfully qualified for the $900,000 prize! Their official speed was 3.72 m/s. Way to go! See more below.

Though it's unlikely that anyone will be pressing the elevator button labeled 'Space' on one of the competitors' vehicles this year at the 2009 Space Elevator Games, there is hope that a winner will walk away with the $1.1 million prize. Three different teams will compete to see if any can send a laser powered vehicle up a thin but strong ribbon 1km (.6 miles) into the sky. Read more…

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One of the biggest challenges to modern space exploration is finding a cheap way to carry payloads outside the Earth's gravity. The conventional methods we use today are very expensive. For example, it costs $10,000 per pound to carry a payload on the space shuttle. Scientists have tried to come up with various solutions, from finding more efficient propulsion systems for rockets, to creating space planes that can travel at hypersonic speeds – fast enough to pierce the atmosphere and go into orbit.

One idea that is very appealing is the space elevator. A simple and elegant solution to the problem; just toss a cable into space, anchor it to something and you have the making of an elevator that can go straight to space without having the added weight of rocket fuel. The technology could bring down the costs of spaceflight to below $100 per pound.

The concept of the space elevator has its origins in Russia during the late 19th century. The Russian scientist Konstatin Tsiolkovsky conceived the idea of a castle in space connected to Earth's surface by a cable. This idea would later be used in science fiction by writers such as Arthur C. Clarke.

The idea works like this. We would launch a satellite into geostationary orbit, and then lower down a cable and attach it to the surface of the Earth. The centripetal force of the orbiting satellite combined with the lessened influence of gravity in space will keep the cable rigid enough for an elevator to climb up it. Until recently, the main problem was that no material was strong enough to support the weight of the cable itself, let alone a payload.

The big breakthrough came with the recent discovery of carbon nanotubes. These are carbon structures that are stronger and lighter than steel yet able to conduct electricity. These qualities make nanotubes the best chance for the realization of a space elevator. And so, the last big obstacle is how to make a 35,000 kilometer long cable out of nanotubes.

The repercussions of a working space elevator would be huge for space exploration and the advancement of human civilization. Colonization of the solar system through space stations and planet modules would become possible and could provide cheap solar energy as an alternative to more dirty but currently cheap sources of energy. Such an impact is mind boggling just to contemplate.

If you enjoyed this article there are others on the Universe Today website you might like. Read this article about a new consortium of scientist that has been formed to research space elevators. Also there is a great article about a using the moon as a possible test site for building a space elevator.

There also great resources on the web. Nova has a great video on its website about space elevators. The Howstuffworks site also has a great article on space elevators.

You can also try listening to Astronomy Cast. Episode 76 Lagrange Points talks about how using area of equilibrium between the moon and Earth would be perfect for placing objects in space.

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