What is a Space Elevator and What Will It Do?
This page will focus upon what can be achieved when Space Elevators are Operational.
Vision:
Space Elevators are the Green Road to Space while they enable humanity's most important missions by moving massive tonnage to GEO and beyond. They accomplish this safely, routinely, inexpensively, and daily; they are environmentally neutral.
The Space Elevator story is still being written. The Apex Anchor is where the Space Elevator will meet the Shoreline of Outer-Space and Where the Transportation Story of the 21st Century will meet the Final Frontier.
View of the Future Galactic Harbour: A new vision of Galactic Harbour architectures has developed. The Galactic Harbour is the combination of the Space Elevator Transportation System and the Space Elevator Enterprise System. The Galactic Harbour will be the volume encompassing the Earth Port while stretching up in a cylindrical shape to include two Space Elevator tethers outwards beyond the Apex Anchor. The estimate is for three Galactic Harbours to develop during the developmental phase between 2035 and 2043.
When the Space Elevator is successfully developed, the following strategic and visionary characteristics will be evident: routine, daily, carbon negative, safe, environmentally friendly, inexpensive, and with massive movement of payloads.
Strategic Questions and Answers:
Question One: What is a Modern Day Space Elevator?
Question Two: What is a Space Elevator Transportation Infrastructure?
Question Three: What is the Major Mission for Space Elevators?
Question Four: What is Dual Space Access Architecture?
Question Five: What are the Major Strengths for Interplanetary Missions?
Question Six: What is the Potential Movement of Mass per Year?
Question Seven: How is the Space Elevator a "Big Green Machine"
Finally, a Thought Experiment: Space Elevators are Ready for Prime Time
Question One: What is a Modern Day Space Elevator?
When starting discussions about the 2022 Modern Day Space Elevator [SEs are entering engineering development, SEs are the Green Road to Space, SEs are a major portion of Dual Space Access Architecture with advanced rockets, and SEs are a permanent transportation infrastructure moving massive cargo daily, routinely and safely], the level of impact on our future movement beyond LEO is transformational at a basic level. This new capability will be revolutionary in approach but evolutionary in scope. These transformational characteristic will have tremendous impact on future missions that will be “enabled” by Space Elevators in the sense of timely delivery of massive supplies. The discussion about these transformational strengths will welcome into the space community a capability that will transform how we do business beyond Low Earth Orbit. This future will improve the Earth’s environment, expand our reach towards the Moon and Mars, and enable projects not even thought about yet. There are three significant characteristics that we must understand.
First, the basic transformational strengths of Space Elevators are to raise massive payloads to GEO and Beyond on the Green Road to Space [environmentally friendly by raising mass with electricity](30,000 tonnes per year at Initial Operations Capability), and
[Eddy, J, Peter Swan, Cathy Swan, Paul Phister, David Dotson, Joshua Bernard-Cooper, Bert Molloy, “Space Elevators: The Green Road to Space,” ISEC Study Report, lulu.com, 2021].
Second, the understanding that the creation of Galactic Harbours (2 Space Elevators working together within each GH) will enable a capability to move massive cargo on a green road to space. The transportation strategy is to link the Space Elevator Transportation System to the Space Elevator Enterprises while creating commercial ventures that will develop along the permanent infrastructure. This unifying vision is called the Galactic Harbour.
Infrastructure development is a major economic improvement: Infrastructure, at its core, provides value through the reduction of transaction costs. Therefore, trying to close a business case for infrastructure by charging high transaction costs is a doomed venture. However, expanding the picture to view the impact on the economy from increased access to value and more efficient markets through lower transaction costs and infrastructure becomes a very lucrative, stable, and reliable investment. Cost per kilogram is the language of rockets -- strategic investment, ubiquitous access, and uninterrupted exchange of resources are the staples of Space Elevators. [Changing the Economic Paradigm for Building a Space Elevator Kevin Barrya, Eduardo Pineda Alfarob, IAC-21, Oct 2021.]
Explanations of these thrusts and the status of the Modern Day Space Elevator are presented in ten videos (14 March 2021).
See also: Seven videos updating Modern Day Space Elevators (14 Aug 2021).
Question Two: What is a Space Elevator Transportation Infrastructure?
The Space Elevator is a transportation infrastructure that is ecological and "beats the gravity well." Its overriding strength is that it supplies massive amounts of cargo to GEO and beyond in an environmentally friendly manner. By using electricity to raise its payloads to "toss" towards their destinations, the Space Elevator is a "Big Green Machine." It not only does not consume fossil fuels to raise itself, but it also enable tremendously difficult missions that are not fully realizable with traditional rockets (or even the newer reusable ones). The Space Elevator Transportation System consists of six major segments (for full explanation, visit our study page on this website and review the reports that deal with each of the segments).
Earth Port and Earth Port Region: A complex located at the Earth terminus of the tether, on the ocean at the equator to support its functions. These mission elements are spread out within the Earth Port Region. When there are two or more termini of tethers, the Earth Port reaches across the region and is considered one Earth Port. The volumetric region around each Earth Port to include a space elevator column for each tether and the space between multiple tethers when they operate together. The Earth Port Region will include the vertical volume through the atmosphere up to where the space elevator tether climbers start operations in the vacuum and down to the ocean floor.
GEO Region: The complex of Space Elevator activities positioned in the Space Elevator GEO Region of the Geosynchronous belt [36,000 kms altitude]; directly above the Earth Port. There will be several sub nodes; one for each tether, one for a central main operating platform, one for each “parking lot”, and others. Encompasses all volume swept out by the tether around the Geosynchronous altitude, as well as the orbits of the various support and service spacecraft “assigned” to the GEO Region. When two or more space elevators are operating together, the region includes each and the volume between elevators.
Apex Anchor and Region: A complex of activity is located at the end of the Space Elevator providing counterweight stability for the space elevator as a large end mass. Attached at the end of the tether will be a complex of Apex Anchor elements such as; reel-in/reel-out capability, thrusters to maintain stability, command and control elements, etc.. Release from AA enables "free flights to Mars and beyond" rapidly and daily. The region is the volume swept out by the end of the tether during normal operations. When two or more space elevators are operating together, the region spreads to the volume between.
Tether Climber: Vehicles able to climb or lower itself on the tether, as well as releasing or capturing satellites for transportation or orbital insertion. Estimate at Initial Operational Capability is 14 tonnes of payload per day. At Full Operational Capability, that moves to 79 tonnes per day.
Tether: 100,000 km long woven ribbon of space elevator with sufficient strength to weight ratio to enable an elevator. Recent materials such as single crystal graphene (and white Graphene) have shown in the laboratory to have both long enough (produced over 20 meter lengths) and strong enough (greater than 150 GPa)
Headquarters and Primary Operations Center: Location for the Operations and Business Centers, probably other than at Earth Port, more likely near Space Elevator Access City.
Further information included in these studies - (www.isec.org studies)
Space Elevator Concept of Operations,” ISEC 2012
Design Considerations for Space Elevator Tether Climbers, ISEC 2014
Space Elevator GEO Node and Apex Anchor Architectures, ISEC 2017
Tether and Climber Interface Study on-going
Question Three: What is the Major Mission for Space Elevators?
The Space Elevator enables mass to be raised against gravity, in an environmentally friendly manner, without using the rocket equation. This leads to:
Space Elevator defeats the Rocket Equation! Our robust future of moving off-planet includes Space Elevators as necessary, compatible, and complementary to rocket architectures. The future needs both communities to work together. It seems obvious that cargo should be moved by a permanent infrastructure. Wikipedia defines the rocket equation as: “The equation describes motion of vehicles that follow basic principle of rockets: a device that can apply acceleration to itself by expelling part of its mass with high velocity thereby moves due to the conservation of momentum.”
Comparisons of rocket equation results show that delivery to LEO is roughly 4% of the mass on the pad and delivery to GEO (or trans-lunar insertion) is about 2%. In comparison, delivery to GEO or Apex Anchor by Space Elevator is 100% of payload at the Earth Port. One must recognize: there are no cost nor reusability factors inside the rocket equation. As a result, the rocket community can decrease the cost and leverage reusability of rocket stages to increase operational efficiency. However, those actions do not improve the performance of the rocket equation. The Tsiolkovsky rocket equation still responds only to gravity. The Earth's gravity numbers are draconian and have a considerable impact on efficiency at liftoff and flight. The resulting percentages are tough numbers to build our future around. However, if you raise 20 MT to GEO and the Apex Anchor with electricity, you have beaten gravity and added tremendous velocity (7.76 km/sec at AA) for release towards mission destinations. Yes, the Space Elevator defeats the Rocket Equation.
Further information included in these studies - (www.isec.org studies)
Today's Space Elevator, ISEC 2019
Space Elevators are the Transportation Story of the 21st Century, ISEC 2020
Question Four: What is Dual Space Access Architecture?
One of the biggest realizations during the last ten years of ISEC studies is that Space Elevators will stand up strong next to rockets and help enable movement off-planet. When we look at the Moon and dream of spaceflight, we forget how extremely difficult it was to accomplish - both in energy and design complexity. Tsiolkovsky's rocket equation consumes so much mass to achieve orbit that, historically, we have been restricted as to what we can deliver. Now that we have decided to go to the Moon and on to Mars in a combined international, government, and commercial effort of great magnitude, we need to expand our vision of 'how to.' It would seem that the establishment of a more robust infrastructure with reusable rockets and permanent Space Elevators must be developed. It will be necessary to develop and present the strengths and weaknesses of the two major components of this combined architecture with the purpose of placing mission equipment and people where they need to go and when they need to be there. The multiple destinations, complexity of orbits, magnitude of each transition to orbit, and infrequent launches currently means that the difficulty of fulfilling the dreams of the many is a monumental "reach." Expanding space access architectures to include Space Elevators will enable a robust movement off-planet.
During the discussions we reached across the strengths of rocket launches along with their difficulties. We recognize there are three principle strengths: 1) rockets are successful today and great strides are forecast for the future, 2) reaching any orbit can be achieved, and, 3) rapid movement through radiation belts for people enables flights to the Moon and Mars. The strengths of a permanent infrastructure with daily, routine, environmentally friendly, massive cargo movement and inexpensive attributes come with Space Elevators. These strengths will be compared to the difficulties of executing a Space Elevator developmental program. Space Elevators will not be ready for initial human migration off-planet. However, once colonies are established on the Moon and Mars using rockets, Space Elevators will enable robust growth by moving massive cargo, daily, inexpensively, environmentally friendly, and routinely. The conclusion is: Rockets to Open up the Moon and Mars with Space Elevators to supply and grow the colonies.
Further information included in this study - (www.isec.org studies)
Space Elevators are the Transportation Story of the 21st Century, ISEC 2020
Question Five: What are the major strengths for interplanetary missions?
Basic Space Elevator Strengths: In addition to a permanent infrastructure's core strength, the dynamics of space elevators enable delivery to optimum locations for satellites. One such location matches the historic geosynchronous altitude around the Earth. These orbital slots are valuable for missions such as space solar power and communications satellites. This region will grow as more and more capability is installed by Space Elevators resulting in a high potential area for supporting entrepreneurs. Missions such as spacecraft repair and/or refueling and assembly of larger spacecraft will expand rapidly once the low cost of delivery is developed. Because of their characteristics, Space Elevators deliver payloads to their intended destination without consumption of mass. Essentially, at the Earth Port, the payload is about 70% of the mass and will be raised to its release destination without losing anything. The tether climber remains intact as it is energized from external sources (the Sun) and then is reused once it completes its mission(s). In addition, the use of Space Elevators ensures that space missions can be initiated without endangering the Earth or its environment. There will be no rocket exhaust reacting inside the atmosphere nor rocket bodies cluttering up low Earth orbits. We recognize that a permanent infrastructure which raises tether climbers using electricity is inherently Earth friendly.
Surprising Interplanetary Strengths: During a joint study between Arizona State University and the International Space Elevator Consortium, multiple strengths emerged that have not been developed. We showed that the design of Space Elevators lends itself to interplanetary missions as it transfers tremendous amounts of energy at release. A 100,000 km Apex Anchor can release towards the Moon and Mars with an amazing inherent velocity (rotation of the Earth with tremendous rotational reach); and, of course it has huge potential energy due to altitude. The velocity at release from the Apex Anchor is approximately 7.76 km/sec towards mission destinations allowing:
Fast transit to planets (Can you imagine, as fast as 61 days to Mars with average flight times in the 80 to 120 day region?).
Daily releases of mission cargo towards Mars and other interplanetary locations. (Imagine no 26 month wait for a launch window?) In addition, the study showed that with longer tethers, the release velocity increases to enable Solar System escape.
Massive amounts of cargo towards mission destinations. (Just imagine 5,000 tonnes for the first space elevator releases growing to 170,000 tonnes per year for a six space elevator mature infrastructure?)
Further information included in these studies - (www.isec.org studies)
Today's Space Elevator, ISEC 2019
Space Elevators are the Transportation Story of the 21st Century, ISEC 2020
Question Six: What is the potential movement of mass per year?
After discussing carrying capacity and operational dates in the latest ISEC year long study report [SE are the Transportation Story of the 21st Century], projections of capability growth within the global transportation infrastructure is shown by the next chart. This development from a single IOC Space Elevator to growth of three Galactic Harbours with the full capacity estimated to handle humans and cargo illustrates the remarkable revolution in lift-off capability. The increase in this capacity over time is shown.
This study report shows that the potential movement of mass off-planet by Galactic Harbours will enable the achievement of major missions that were hindered by the limited capabilities of the past. This transportation infrastructure will satisfy customer needs while being compatible and complementary to growing rocket portals. Each will have strengths to support various customers; however, the movement of cargo for complex and massive undertakings is a natural strength of Galactic Harbours. Complementary transportation portals and infrastructures can ensure success for different missions and destinations desired by future movements off-planet. The report leveraged the next two Demand Pull requirements from two potential customers;
Leveraging information about demand pull for these reference missions and comparing carrying capacity of early, and then mature, Space Elevator transportation infrastructure results in the next Table: Fulfillment of Reference Missions. This puts the whole picture into focus. The demands are huge for these critical reference missions and their destinations. Full Operational Capability Galactic Harbours are needed as soon as possible to support humanity's dreams. This vertical logistics chain can enable colonies on Mars, Lunar Villages and Space Solar Power.
Further information included in this study - (www.isec.org studies)
Space Elevators are the Transportation Story of the 21st Century, ISEC 2020
Question Seven: How is the Space Elevator a "Big Green Machine?"
Space Elevators and Galactic Harbours are Big Green Machines designed to improve the Earth's environment through two significant contributions. The first is the remarkable "zero-emission" lift of cargo to space - reducing environmental impacts from rocket launches. The second is the ability to deploy massive systems to GEO that can actually improve the Earth's environment. The Space Elevator will be an essential part of a global and interplanetary transportation infrastructure, as it has the ability to improve the Earth’s environment. The question to be addressed here is: how can the strengths of Space Elevators enable missions of all types, while having little or no negative environmental effects? We believe that not only can it do this, but it can also enable activities in space that will actually improve Earth’s environment.
This study (ISEC Currently conducting study) shows the beneficial environmental effects of building, and daily use, of Space Elevators and shows 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 goods as well as the transportation of people. With this need, it is recognized that huge numbers of launches will still be going through the atmosphere, contaminating the land around the launch site and the atmosphere along its path, leaving parts of rockets and spacecraft in orbit, and consuming natural resources in large quantities. With this realization comes the responsibility to mitigate environmental impacts while also providing positive environmental benefits from Space Elevator services. A net assessment study being conducted by ISEC shows that Space Elevators are Big Green Machines designed to improve the Earth's environment through two significant contributions. The first is the remarkable "zero-emission" lift of cargo to space - reducing the environmental impacts of rocket launches. The second is the ability to deploy massive systems to GEO that can actually improve the Earth's environment. This leads to a Space Elevator transportation infrastructure that is:
1) environmentally friendly operations - actually negative carbon footprint,
2) eliminates excessive rockets launches that cause environmental damage, and
3) enables important Green Missions, such as Space Solar Power.
Further information included in these studies - (www.isec.org studies)
Space Elevators are the Transportation Story of the 21st Century, ISEC 2020
Beneficial Environmental Impacts from Space Elevators, ISEC 2021-in process
A Thought Experiment: Space Elevators are Ready for Prime Time
A NEW Paradigm has emerged
Space Elevators can be accomplished because we have a material now
Space Elevators ENABLE Interplanetary
o Fast Transit to Mars (as short as 61 days, with variations out to 400+)
o Can release towards Mars EVERY day (no 26 month wait)
o Can move massive amounts of cargo (180,000 MTs/year to GEO beyond)
Space Elevators are Earth Friendly
o Space Solar Power replaces 100s of coal power plants
o No rocket exhaust to contribute to global warming
o No additional space debris
o Opens up remarkable commercial enterprises at Earth Port, GEO Region +
Offer to all future scientists
o Any size science experiment
o Any solar system destination
o Releases every day towards multiple scientific destinations
How can this be possible? Simple - a working Space Elevator defeats gravity and the traditional rocket equation. Massive payloads to Apex Anchor using electricity to be released at 7.76 km/sec towards destinations; daily, routinely, safely, robustly while being environmentally friendly.