What is Space Elevator and How does it Work-1

What is Space Elevator and How does it Work- (part 1)

The space shuttle Columbia launched its first space shuttle from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 12, 1981. That's when the dream of a reusable spacecraft became a reality. Since then, NASA has carried out more than 100 missions, but the cost of space missions has changed little. The cost of traveling on either the space shuttle or the Russian reusable spacecraft is about 10,000$ per pound (22,000$ per kg).

That's why scientists have been thinking of a new space transport system that could transform travel in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) into a daily occurrence and change the global economy. From there came this space elevator through which you can travel directly from Earth to space. Now you can think, "Is a space elevator really possible?"- Hope you will get the answer after reading this article.

How the space elevator will work?

According to the space elevator's plan, a ribbon made of a combination of carbon nanotubes will be attached to one end of the body, to the platform, and to the other end, extending up to about 60,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) into space. The mechanical lifter attached to the ribbon will carry cargo or people into space through the ribbon. But, "How much will it cost to build a space elevator?"- It will cost only 100$ to 400$ per pound (220$ to 880$ per kg).

To better understand the concept of space elevators, let's think of the Tether ball game. In the game, one end of a rope is tied to a pole and the other end is tied to a ball. In the case of space elevators, the rope is a ribbon made of a combination of carbon nanotubes, the pole is the earth and the ball is the counterweight.

Now suppose the ball is constantly rotating around the pole so fast that the rope is always in a tight state. This is the idea of ​​this elevator. The counterweight rotates around the earth in such a way that the cable is tight and the robotic lifter can come and go through the ribbon.

The space elevator is about 62,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) high, according to the design of Liftport, one of the companies developing this elevator. In October 2006, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, several teams from around the world competed for the Space Elevator game in the X-Prize Cup, with the first prize of 400,000.

The centerpiece of the elevator will be the ribbon of the carbon nanotube which is only a few centimeters wide and as thin as paper. Scientists believe that carbon nanotubes, discovered in 1991, are the material that can be used to make space elevators. Dr. Spaceward Foundation. According to Bradley Edwards, “The material challenge was huge in the past. But now we've moved on to making carbon nanotubes and machines that can make huge ribbons and extend into space. "

Carbon nanotubes have the potential to be 100 times stronger than steel and are as flexible as plastic. This is because of their unique structure. If scientists are able to make fibers from carbon tubes, it will be possible to make elevator ribbons from them. But the previously obtained components were too weak or too rigid which could easily break down.

"Their elastic coefficients and tensile strength are very high," said Tom Newsent, Liftport Group's research director. "These components of a component make space elevators relatively easy to build. ”

A ribbon can be made in two ways:

• A few meters long carbon nanotubes can be made into rope-like structures. As of 2005, the longest nanotubes are only a few centimeters long.
• Smaller nanotubes can be placed in a polymer matrix. However, current polymers do not bind carbon nanotubes well, causing the nanotubes to detach from the matrix due to tension.

What is Space Elevator and How does it Work-(part 2) 

In the 2nd phase, we will talk about the working, maintenance and effect of this elevator! Isec project,