ISEC Conference 

September 6th and 7th.

This year's conference will be virtual and scheduled so that you can participate at a comfortable time, regardless of what hemisphere you're in.

Would you like to join? Do you have a space elevator topic you'd like to present? Submit your abstract at the link at https://www.isec.org/events. The deadline for submissions is July 21st.

We hope to see you there!

President’s Note

by Dennis Wright

Top Five Challenges for the Space Elevator - “Bottom End”

The first 100 km of the space elevator, or the “bottom end”, is unique in its challenges for several reasons. First and foremost is the fact that it is in Earth’s atmosphere and subject to winds, lightning strikes, and electromagnetic charging. Attacks on the tether material by water vapor and chemical radicals like monatomic oxygen are also a concern, as are mechanical issues connected with sitting the space elevator base at sea and reeling in or out of the tether to control climber motion.

One approach to these challenges is to ignore them by extending the space elevator down only to the top of the atmosphere and finding some other means to reach it, either by rocket or a self-supporting structure built from the ground up, referred to as “High Stage One.” Suspending a pulley at 100 km, with counterweighted cables to haul the climber, has also been proposed.

The preferred approach by ISEC, however, is to use one continuous tether. In this case, at least part of the tether must be made chemically resistant. This could be done, in the case of graphene, by folding the 2-D molecules so that their edges are not exposed to H2O or O. It could also be coated with layers of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), which is less chemically reactive.

Electromagnetic effects on a graphene tether would be significant due to its high conductivity. This again could be reduced by adding layers of hBN, which is an insulator. Sitting the space elevator at the equator is also helpful as there are fewer lightning strikes there.

The elephant in the room, though, is wind loading. If the tether presents a flat surface of width 20 cm or so, the force due to a “moderate breeze” (force 4) could be around 250 kN. In a “strong breeze” (force 6) this goes up to 1.3 MN. If the tether is edge-on to the wind, this force is reduced significantly, but the challenge would be to keep the tether in a particular orientation to the changing wind direction. A heavier or narrower tether would also reduce the force. Again, locating the space elevator at the equator where calmer conditions prevail would help.

This concludes our “Top Five” space elevator challenges series. If you would like to dive into some of the details of these and other projects, please contact me (dennis.wright@isec.org).

Dennis Wright

Chief Architect’s Corner

by Pete Swan 

Academic Involvement Enhances ISEC

Since the beginning of ISEC, two plus decades ago, we have always encouraged academic involvement. Some of the early events included space elevator races sponsored by a NASA Challenge and later, supported by the Children’s LEGO competition, at Seattle at the Museum of Flight. (“Space Elevator Fun and Games: Part 1B, United States”.) Along the way, we have conducted several ISEC Summer Internships with four-month research projects on various topics enhancing our understanding of challenges within space elevator systems architecture. Many have led to surprising and encouraging results such as how to increase mass at the Apex Anchor (answer: deploy used tether climbers after they get to GEO and deposit their mission payloads). In addition, we have had many working relationships with universities and professors around the world. Most rewarding was with Professor Matthew Peet of Arizona State University and his students. Significant results surfaced as the students used their orbital dynamics education and calculated the huge ellipses resulting from massive velocities at Apex Anchors – going to Mars with fastest travel of 61 days; departures to Mars every day – resulting in a “bus schedule to Mars”. 

Recently, Paul Phister (our board’s Director of Education), has run the yearly Space Elevator Academic Challenges. This year, he had six winners (college and high school, 1st/2nd/3rd) with videos and papers (see Academic Challenge on our website). One of the benefits of winning is the offer to present at the National Space Society International Space Development Conference. This year it was in Orlando over the week of June 21st with about 400 students from around the world. One of our teams “Space NoA’s MagLev Space Elevator” from Stanford Open High School, was represented by team members Leo Shiina and Maiya Qui. The team was fortunate in that they were able to present twice, once within the ISDC student presentation day and once inside our SE Program on Saturday. As such, they were recognized as envisioning marvelous engineering concepts supporting our mission of leveraging the advantages of space elevators. In addition, the two student winners (remember, they are in high school) were able to mix with hundreds of other students from around the world. In addition, there were several student groups who used space elevators in their winning submissions to the NSS’ Space Settlement Contest, enhancing the understanding across so many countries.

Leo-Shiina-and-Maiya-Qui

Leo Shiina and Maiya Qui receiving award at ISDC 2025 with Dr. Swan.

Zotero Update

by Peter Robinson

ISEC Members are reminded that access to our document library on Zotero (see www.zotero.org) is a member benefit. Contact me for access at peter.robinson@isec.org. (Please supply some evidence that you've paid, such as a receipt screenshot; otherwise I'll need to check with our membership team!).

Members with access and who spend all their time on a mobile device might like to know that Zotero has just released an official app for both Android and iOS platforms. That means you can now delete that 3rd-party app that you may be using. It's easy to find in the respective App Store, so install it now... then put your device away and go for a walk or run (you know you should!).

Other Zotero news: I've just found a long-lost PDF copy of the “CLIMB” magazine from 2011, the first 145-page “Journal of the International Space Elevator Consortium” compiled by the original ISEC team, with a Foreword by Yuri Artsutanov himself! You can find it in Zotero in the “History” collection, and elsewhere.

Material from ISDC-2025 will be uploaded soon, plus more... I've just acquired access to ResearchGate, and I'm finding several “Space Elevator” papers there from around the world and am copying anything new to Zotero.

If you have papers or other material that you believe should be on Zotero please send them to me or to your favourite ISEC board member as they all have "write" access. As a member, you'll only have "read" access.

ISEC’s Successful ISDC in Orlando

by Pete Swan

I believe we had several successes during our five days at the International Space Development Conference. Our principal success was the Saturday afternoon Space Elevator Program where we had two and a half hours of presentations, a one-hour panel, and a question-and-answer period. There were many complements afterwards about the robustness of the presentations and the active discussions. ISEC leadership and the ISDC activities led to two ISEC decisions which were discussed and agreed upon. Dennis and Larry will assume leadership in NSS ISDC’s of the future with Pete participating actively. In addition, it has been suggested that we should ask for two more hours of Space Elevator time at the ISDC. As such, we will be asking for the 10-12 time slot on the same day (Saturday) as our 2-6 slot. Any ideas on how to expand our participation next year?

The Space Elevator Program was exciting, with several new presenters and a diversity of topics. Those presentations can all be downloaded from the page on our ISEC website (www.isec.org/recent-publications). In addition, we had a breakout this year with many new players and the panel addressing a modern image of the new world “out there”. The return of valuable products to the Earth is the definition of our “down problem” within the space elevator circles, but very little has been said about “how”. What are the problems? What are the values? And how do we have to change our current plans to accomplish a down capability? In many cases the new players helped us define the issues and initiate discussions across so many aspects of modern-day space elevators. This year’s panel idea went very well – Return wealth downward on the Space Elevator, ergo – the down problem. The concept was actively developed during the special panel led by Dennis - with Larry, Steven Griggs, and Isaac Arthur (President of NSS). The discussions were active as this topic has laid dormant for at least 15 years with very little emphasis. As more and more commercial companies are looking at mining asteroids, the need to evaluate this concept is clear.

We also had remarkable successes in our relationship with the new organization, the World Space Elevator Competitions (see article below), led by Mordy Friedman and several supporters of the concept of a corporation stimulating Space Elevator Games around the world. He and his team set up a marketing table with a remarkable engineering representation of active space elevator games. He had four active climbers going vertically on strong material to their limit of about 15 feet. They were continuously describing the space elevator and the representation of their tether climber contests towards the improvement of knowledge leading to an operational space elevator. ISEC supported them with several aspects: we joined them at the desk several times a day to help them discuss Modern Day Space Elevators, we gave them an IAA SE book and an ISEC study report to show as well as many handouts and promotional ISEC pens to give away. This ISEC support helped tie the SE game hardware to the major program potential for the future. Mordy and his team did a great job helping to move the concept forward. I look forward to his activities over the coming years.

Next year’s ISDC will be held June 4th through 7th at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner. We need your support for this. It should be exciting as it will be supported by the Washington, D.C. crowd (read that as ties to leadership in NASA, Space Force, Congress, the White House, and all the corporate entities around there!)

ISDC-ISEC-panel

Image: Panel members (left to right) Dennis Wright, Larry Bartoszek, Isaac Arthur, Steven Griggs. Photo Credit: Aidan Hurley-Kalici.

More photos can be found on our Flickr page!

Tether Materials

by Adrian Nixon 

Could a Tether Made from Multilayered Hexagonal Boron Nitride be Cross-linked to Spot-weld the Layers?

Our colleague, Peter Robinson asked recently: Given that hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is one of the candidate materials for a tether, could it be cross-linked in the same way we think multilayer graphene can be cross-linked or spot-welded?

There are layers of depth behind this question, so it will need some explanation before we begin to answer this properly.

Imagine you have a flat tether ribbon made from many tens of thousands of layers of thin material, stacked on top of one another. This material is incredibly strong. However, the layers can slide over one another. This becomes an issue when you consider a space elevator climber design based on sets of opposing wheels that clamp onto the tether and pull the climber up and down.

The concern is that as the wheels of the climber grip the tether and the wheels start to turn, the outer layers of the tether might slide over the inner ones. This creates a problem especially when starting and stopping the climber.

We explored ways of solving this problem in a previous newsletter article. We focused on a tether made of multilayered graphene (graphene laminate) and we found that it is possible to create strong chemical bonds between the layers that lock the graphene layers together in the graphene laminate tether material and called this cross-linking or spot-welding [1].

So far so good. We have identified a way to solve the problem of layers slipping in a graphene laminate tether. Now, we have alternative materials that could be used to make a tether. One of these is called hexagonal boron nitride and understanding if we can cross-link this in the same way as graphene is important to know. Now that we have the context for Peter’s question, the answer needs three parts:

Part One

Firstly, boron nitride has several structural forms.

Hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN) is analogous to graphene as you may know. Its structure is made of atoms linked together in flat sheets rather like chicken wire. hBN is a two-dimensional (2D) material, (see Fig. 1). It stacks similarly to graphene and the layers are held together by van der Waals forces. The bulk material has a white appearance and is sometimes called “white graphene”. This form is one of the candidate materials for the space elevator tether.

hBN-and-graphene

Figure 1: hBN and graphene.

There are two other forms of boron nitride, Cubic (sphalerite) and Wurtzite (wBN), as seen in Fig 2.

Cubic-and-Wurtzite-boron-nitride

Figure 2: Cubic and Wurtzite boron nitride.

Both the sphalerite and wurtzite forms of boron nitride are analogous to the carbon forms of diamond. Sphalerite is related to cubic diamond and Wurtzite to hexagonal diamond, also known as Lonsdaleite.

Part Two

Secondly, can cross-links be formed between layers of hBN to create either sphalerite or wurtzite? In graphene laminate these cross-links can be done with high pressures around 14 to 20 GPa [1].

hBN can be cross-linked to form wBN with high pressure compression. Straightforward hydrostatic pressure up to 57 GPa didn’t form cross-links. However, a much lower pressure of 6.7 GPa with rotational shear did form the cross-links [2].

It could be that the mismatch between boron and nitrogen in the layers makes it hard to form the B-N cross-links. This might be why rotational shear was needed in the pressure example.

We also discovered that graphene laminate can be cross-linked with ionising radiation [3]. There is very little in the peer reviewed literature about forming cBN or wBN from multilayer hBN with ionising radiation. A master’s thesis in the USA found that multilayered hBN is resistant to changes induced by gamma radiation.

“To study the radiation response of thin film hBN, metal insulator semiconductor (MIS) devices were fabricated via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with the insulator composed of either a 2 nm or 12 nm layer of hBN. Current voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V), and impedance spectroscopy measurements were compared to quantify changes in hBN resistance due to radiation induced displacement damage. The hBN resistance exhibited no discernible degradation up to high levels of displacement damage and total ionizing dose relative to Earth orbit satellite environments,” [4].

This work was done in the context of Earth orbiting spacecraft where the levels of gamma radiation are relatively low compared to sources on Earth.

Is it possible that higher levels of ionising radiation could cross-link layers in hBN? While writing this article work was published that addressed this question.

A paper published by researchers at the University of Manchester, UK explored the effects of very high doses of gamma radiation on hBN [5]. They used hBN nanoplate powder produced using liquid phase exfoliation (LPE), then assembled into films (200-800 nm thick) via inkjet printing and into membranes (>1 micron thick) via vacuum filtration. These samples were subjected to gamma irradiation up to a total absorbed dose of 1500 kGy under various atmospheric conditions. This is hundreds of times the maximum dose that could be expected in Earth orbit. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed no significant structural changes in the hBN films and membranes after gamma irradiation, even at the highest tested doses. This shows that hBN is highly resistant to gamma radiation and is unlikely to form cross-links between the layers when irradiated.

Part Three

Thinking about a space elevator tether brings up the possibility of using graphene and hBN together. For example, Pete Swan proposed that we could apply layers of hBN to the outside of a graphene laminate tether to double the friction and make the tether easier to climb.

This leads to a further question – is it possible to form covalent bonds between hBN and Graphene?

hBN-Graphene-hBN-lateral-heterostructure

Figure 3: hBN-Graphene-hBN lateral heterostructure.

The answer is yes; it is possible to bond a sheet of graphene to one of hBN. This has already been done in the laboratory by researchers at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in Spain [6]. The team used a chemical vapour deposition (CVD) process to grow monolayers of graphene and hBN on rhodium metal. They proved that the carbon in graphene can form covalent bonds with the boron and nitrogen in hBN. This creates a flat sheet of alternating domains of graphene and hBN and is known as a lateral heterostructure.

Graphene and hBN do stack on one another to form a van der Waals heterostructure. The final question to ask is can these alternating sheets of 2D materials be cross-linked to lock together the layers with covalent bonds?

A search of the peer-reviewed literature returns results dominated by van der Waals heterostructures rather than covalently cross-linked or spot-welded heterostructures. It seems likely that the research community has yet to explore this avenue.

Summary

To answer Peter’s question, it is possible in theory to form cross-links between layers of hexagonal boron nitride. This is done by applying extreme compressive pressure with a twisting action to persuade the covalent bonds to bridge one or more layers. Ionising radiation was thought to be another way to do this, but the intensity needs to be far higher than that tested so far (1500 kGy) and for the moment we can rule out this method.

In practice, cross-linking layers of hBN is probably unlikely given the results found in the literature.

Extending the question to ask whether graphene and hBN can be bonded together, the answer to this is yes, carbon can form covalent bonds with boron and nitrogen and lateral heterostructures have been made in the laboratory. No one has thought about cross-linking between layers of graphene and hBN yet, but the existence of the lateral heterostructure shows this should be possible given the right conditions.

References

1. Nixon, A. (2023). Sliding of Layers in Graphene Super Laminate. [online] International Space Elevator Consortium. Available at: https://www.isec.org/space-elevator-newsletter-2023-march/#tether [Accessed 17 Jun. 2025].

2. Cheng, J., Levitas, V., Zhu, H., Chaudhuri, J., Marathe, A. and Ma, Y. (2012). Supporting Information. PNAS, [online] 109(47). doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1214976109.

3. Nixon, A. (2023a). How Ionising Radiation Affects Graphene Super Laminate. [online] International Space Elevator Consortium. Available at: https://www.isec.org/space-elevator-newsletter-2023-august/#tether.

4. Kaminski, N. (2016). Radiation Effects in Thin Film Hexagonal Boron Nitride. [Thesis] p.iv. Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/trecms/pdf/AD1054493.pdf [Accessed 18 Jun. 2025].

5. Yashoda Abeykoon, Knapp, J., Cinzia Casiraghi, Wang, J., Ahmad, T., Lee, W.A., Reed, B.P., Parvez, K., Peng, Z., Pollard, A.J. and Aliaksandr Baidak (2025). Effect of γ-irradiation on hexagonal boron nitride membranes and printed films. Nanoscale. doi: https://doi.org/10.1039/d5nr01542a.

6. Guo, H., Ane Garro-Hernandorena, Martínez-Galera, A.J. and Gómez-Rodríguez, J.M. (2023). Lateral Heterostructures of Graphene and h-BN with Atomic Lattice Coherence and Tunable Rotational Order. Small, 19(17). doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202207217.

World Space Elevator Competitions

by Alexander Joham & Mordy Friedman

Photo Credits: Alexander Joham 

We are excited to announce the official launch of the World Space Elevator Competitions (WSPEC)! Our non-profit aims to mobilize the global engineering community to push the boundaries of space elevator innovation. Building on a foundation of the Space Elevator Games in the USA and the Climber Challenges in Europe and Japan, we create a global network of passionate innovators.

The first iteration of WSPEC features climber and power beam engineering, laying the foundation for many more to follow. While the climber competition tackles the mechanical challenges of space elevator systems, the power beam competition explores potential energy transmission solutions, both inviting teams to design and build next-generation space transportation technologies.

WSPEC-1
WSPEC-2

At the ISDC Conference in Orlando, WSPEC made its official debut with a booth that highlighted the competitions and the space elevator vision, drawing strong interest with the generous support and table partnership from ISEC. Our visual demonstration featured small-scale climbers that attendees could control along a tether track, offering a hands-on way to visualize the concept of a space elevator.

WSPEC-3

The response to our launch was overwhelmingly positive. WSPEC was featured in several articles, and the local Fox station even stopped by for a live TV interview (https://www.fox35orlando.com/video/1661788). We are deeply grateful to everyone who stopped by, shared their time, and supported us, and a special thanks to ISEC for their support in sharing the booth space.

WSPEC-4

We invite you to explore our mission at wspec.org and would love to connect as we work together toward this exciting future.

WSPEC-5

History Corner

by David Raitt, ISEC Chief Historian

Space Elevators: Bonkers or Bunkum?
(But Also Belated!)

There has been a flurry of new articles that have popped up in various space elevator searches I have conducted recently. Not exactly new in terms of date, but new in the sense that I haven't come across them before.

On 6 June 2024, The Sun (US), calling it bonkers, reported on a Japanese space elevator project costing $100 billion that could lift tourists 22,000 miles above the Earth from a floating departure port and have them on their way to Mars by 2050 (https://www.the-sun.com/tech/11558383/giant-japanese-space-elevator-tourists-above-earth-2050-danger/). Japan's Obayashi Corporation has proposed building the now deemed technically feasible space elevator. Obayashi did announce its space elevator construction concept some 15 years ago. Like others before, Obayashi says that the space elevator would bridge the gap between Earth and GEO via a cable, allowing people to travel to and from space as easily as if they were riding a train – indeed they could reach Mars as quickly as 40 days. The Earth Port, floating on the sea at the equator, would be accessed by an undersea tunnel to the mainland.

The Sun article, complete with video, quotes from other news sources, including Business Insider, who checked with Obayashi on 5 June 2024 and noted that Obayashi now seemed to be pushing further ahead with its plans. Business Insider's own article entitled "Space elevators could get us to Mars in record time — and Japan is planning one for 2050" provides some interesting information! For example, the tether or tube as it is called would have to be very thick if it were to be made of steel (I don't think this has ever been a serious consideration!) – indeed, if you did try to build it out of steel, you would need more steel than exists on Earth! (https://www.businessinsider.com/space-elevator-pros-cons-japan-design-revolutionize-space-travel-2024-5).

The Sun, echoing Business Insider, also refers to a report on space elevators published by Christian Johnson of the RAND Corporation in the Journal of Science Policy & Governance in March 2023 (another new article for me!). Under the title "International opportunities and technical challenges for the space elevator", Johnson provides an overview of what a space elevator is, notes its modern-day history and principal advocates, and then delves into the scientific and economic opportunities provided by the space elevator, plus the technical challenges. He opines that such challenges, particularly those related to the tether material, have prevented a space elevator from getting past the design stage. Should future advances in materials science allow the space elevator to be built, consideration should be paid to the geopolitical influence that a real space elevator might have. Its unique combination of cost, wartime utility, and vulnerability mean that a peaceful consortium of nations working together should be considered as a potential management model. Besides citing Brad Edwards and Jerome Pearson amongst others, it is gratifying to note the Swan, Raitt et al's 2013 IAA Study on Space Elevators (https://www.sciencepolicyjournal.org/uploads/5/4/3/4/5434385/johnson_jspg_v22.pdf).

Another new-for-me article in Business Insider from June 2021, discusses briefly how China wants to up the ante on the space race with a “sky ladder” to Mars that can "beam" humans and cargo up in a capsule (https://www.businessinsider.com/china-up-the-ante-space-race-sky-ladder-to-mars-2021-6). The article reports that:

 “According to Chinese state-owned media Global Times, Wang Xiaojun, the head of the country's top rocket manufacturer, announced this week (June 2021) that China is not only looking to putting a man on Mars by 2033 — it's also working on the sky ladder, a delivery system made of carbon nanotubes (strong, minuscule carbon atom filaments) that can beam humans and cargo up to space stations for what it claims will be just 4% of the current cost. Wang, who leads the state-owned China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, did not elaborate on the specifics of how this sky ladder all the way to Mars will work, but noted that it would be a starting point for future space voyages and transport missions to the red planet," (https://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/2021-06-23/doc-ikqcfnca2789517.shtml - this article is in Chinese, but it is translatable into English).

It should be perhaps noted that China does have a sky ladder already! Tianti is a recently opened attraction on Mount Qixing in Zhangjiajie Nature Park. It is a 168m-long ladder suspended between two cliffs, 1,524m above the ground which offers a daring and dramatic climbing experience (https://edition.cnn.com/travel/mount-qixing-china-via-ferrata-intl-hnk).

Then I came across a blog page on space elevators by Elizabeth Stanway, a Reader in the Astronomy and Astrophysics group at the University of Warwick in England. Quite apart from her research interests, Elizabeth avers to having a strong interest in researching into representations of science and scientists in science fiction, and the use of science fiction as a pedagogic tool for both formal teaching and public engagement. In her blog on space elevators, Elizabeth first discusses the two 1979 novels: The Fountains of Paradise and The Web Between the Worlds, showing how the space elevator is essential for the future of an Earth well-advanced in the process of depleting its resources, and beginning to depend on resources imported from the Moon or asteroid belt. She notes the inefficiencies and environmental impact of rockets and how space elevators could make transportation to and from space far cheaper. She illustrates how space elevators are used as the backdrop to a routine commercial exploitation of space in several SF books and stories, and notes that one of the most commonly discussed large-scale projects in the context of space elevators is the effective terraforming and human habitation of Mars. Her discussion provides several examples of novels such as Robinson's epic trilogy Red, Green, and Blue Mars. The use of space elevators to permit the resettlement of large populations is also a recurring feature in science fiction. Turning to the obvious question: if space elevators solve so many problems, with such obvious advantages, why has such a device not yet been constructed? The blog finally looks at some of the problems such as costs and materials and then goes on to show how various stories have tackled the material issue. “Touching the Sky”, Elizabeth Stanway, Cosmic Stories blog, August 2023 (https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/research/astro/people/stanway/sciencefiction/cosmicstories/space_elevators/).

Red Mars

In an entry updated on 13 September 2021, the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (SFE) has a short article on space elevators which provides links to quite a few novels on the topic as well as to various technologies and other concepts (https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/space_elevator). It's worth clicking on the heading Themes to see the myriad of entries on diverse topics in the SFE.

Another short article entitled "Red Mars: Constructing a Space Elevator", which appeared in "Current Happenings Across STEM Magazine" for 9 May 2024, takes a look at the tools needed to connect the sky to the Earth (https://bbnchasm.com/2024/05/09/red-mars-constructing-a-space-elevator/). The article notes that along with the space elevator’s numerous benefits come some of the hardest engineering problems that humans could ever face. For example, how would engineers go about manufacturing a cable tough enough to remain intact as it stretches for tens of thousands of kilometres? Where would they find the materials for a space elevator? How and where would it be built? How long would construction take? The article then goes on to say that the science fiction epic Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson answers all these questions as it details a plausible way that a space elevator could go from concept to reality. It is interesting to observe that in the Bibliography, there is a link to ISEC's page "What is a Space Elevator?"! There is also a link to KSR's info page where he provides some basic information about space elevators (https://www.kimstanleyrobinson.info/content/space-elevator)

Another one which seems to somehow have gotten away is an article by Brad Edwards which appeared in the Gravitational and Space Biology Bulletin in June 2003 after his NIAC studies and which he uploaded to ResearchGate on 13 March 2014! Entitled "The Space Elevator: A New Tool for Space Studies", the article (downloadable as a pdf) first describes Edwards' concept and then looks at the implications for gravitational and space biological studies. Edwards argues that an operational space elevator would allow for larger and much longer-term biological space studies at selectable gravity levels. The high-capacity and low operational cost of the system would also allow for inexpensive searches for life throughout our solar system and the first tests of environmental engineering. Two experiments are discussed: 1) the large, long-term biosphere for development and environmental studies in a constant low-gravity environment, and 2) planetary engineering studies as a precursor to adaptation of the Martian surface for human use. An example programme is also considered (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10580029_The_space_elevator_a_new_tool_for_space_studies).

Finally, how about an Android novel by William H. Keith Jr published in 2011 by Fantasy Flight Games? With the title Free Fall, the story concerns an influential lawyer brutally murdered at the top of the Beanstalk, a towering exo-atmospheric elevator serving as Earth's hub of interplanetary trade, with the investigation carried out by Detective Rick Harrison. Free Fall is the first novel based on Fantasy Flight Games's Android, conveying a dystopian world of technology and corruption. 

Social Media Update

LinkedIn remains our primary “business” social media outlet, and we have just passed a milestone: as of 13th July 2025, our LinkedIn follower count is 2243, just exceeding our Facebook count of 2233. We have no easy way of knowing how many people follow us on both, but we certainly see more engagement on LinkedIn… and during the last five years we’ve lost 100+ followers from Facebook.

If you’re not already following us on LinkedIn, here’s the link: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-space-elevator-consortium/.

For less formal discussion of Space Elevator news and related matters the Reddit community is a useful forum. If you’re a Reddit user, join the conversations on r/spaceelevator.

We’re still seeing slow growth in followers on Instagram and Bluesky, but in contrast we see few interactions on the alternate short-message site, Mastodon. We have already discontinued activity on Threads, and we may also discontinue Mastodon unless we hear from "tooters" there before the end of this month.

We will continue to review our activity on all platforms; please comment on our latest post on your favourite site to let us know your views. For links to all our social media outlets go to https://www.isec.org/social-media.

ISEC Media Mogul

Around the Web:

Article at phys.org "Removing Water on Ceres with a Space Elevator":
https://phys.org/news/2025-06-space-elevator-ceres.html

YouTube video "How to Build a Space Elevator": 
https://youtube.com/shorts/W6-BGkuA2Gc

Article by Leonard David:
Uplifting News! Global Space Elevator Challenge

A contribution from a member, Jiahen Lei, who used Starforge Nexus to create the video. The graphics are slick but vertigo-inducing for those who are sensitive!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNnT1b0xDiQ

This video is relevant as it pertains to a topic from this weekend’s ISDC. Isaac Arthur was the opening speaker for the conference!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WStjr5daYsY

A link from Peter R. to the Space Elevator Blog, also talking about the WSPEC.

Introducing WSPEC | The Space Elevator Blog

Upcoming Events:

Virtual Space Elevator Conference 2025
Sponsored by the International Space Elevator Consortium
https://www.isec.org/events/isec2025
Saturday, September 6th, through Sunday September 7th, 2025

76th International Astronautical Congress
Sponsored by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF)
https://www.iac2025.org/about/
Monday, September 29th, through Friday, October 3rd, 2025
International Convention Centre, Sydney, Australia

International Space Development Conference 2026
Sponsored by the National Space Society
https://www.isec.org/events/isdc2026
Thursday, June 4th, through Sunday, June 7th, 2026
Space Elevator Session, Saturday, June 6th
Hilton McLean Tysons Corner Virginia

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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