Europes Entries to the US Space Elevator Competition Markus Klettner – SEI Europe – Barcelona Luxembourg European Space Conference, Luxembourg The Space.

Europe’s Entries to the US Space Elevator Competition

Markus Klettner – SEI Europe – Barcelona Luxembourg

European Space Conference, Luxembourg

• The Space Elevator (SE)• SE Contest: Spaceward, NASA and X PRIZE Cup• European Entries from Spain and Germany

Courtesy: Marshall Almeida

Markus Klettner MSM'05 - SEI Europe Barcelona - Luxembourg

2

Space Elevator: Basics

Courtesy: The Space Elevator Visualization Group


3

Space Elevator: System Overview

First elevator: 20 ton capacity (13 ton payload)

Constructed with existing or near-term technology

Cost (US$10B) and schedule (~15 years)

Operating costs of US$250/kg to any Earth orbit, moon, Mars, Venus, Asteroids

(Source: Brad Edwards)


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• High-strength structures

• Finite element analysis /Computer simulations

• Lightweight electric motors

• High-power laser systems

• Space tether systems

• Space applications

• Climber technology

• Debris tracking technology

Space Elevator: R&D Spin-off

120

100

80

60

40

20

0Alt

itud

e R

ate

(m/s

)

43210

Time (hrs)


5

Initial SE Contest at NASA Ames in Oct 2005

Beam Power Challenge: designed by NASA‘s Centennial Challenges program to promote development of new

SE related power distribution technologies. 7 university teams competed, first technology demonstration. No winner in 2005

Tether Challenge: foster the development of super strong space tether material. The competition

requires a 50% improvement in breaking force from year to year

Courtesy: Spaceward Foundation


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SE Contest 2006: Stakeholders

Introduced and manages the Space ElevatorGames within its „Elevator2010“ program

Awards the prize money of total USD 400.000for the SE „BeamPower Challenge“ and theSE „Tether Challenge“

Will host the Space Elevator Games from year2006 on


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X PRIZE Cup will host Space Elevator Contest in 2006

Courtesy: The X PRIZE Foundation, xprizecup 2006 brochure


8

Beam Power (Climber) Challenge in 2006

Courtesy: Spaceward Foundation

Climber competition entries are rated according to the product of payload weight and climbing speed, normalized by the net climber weight. 2006 target is to have loads (climber + payload)of about 50 kg move up a ribbon at a speed of 1 m/s for about 1 minute, corresponding to 500 watts of mechanical power.

v=1m/s

m=50 kg


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European Entries to the Contest

Year 2006• Barcelona Spain: Team Recens from Technical University of Catalonia and Catalonian Institute for Space Studies• Dortmund Germany: Team Weltraumfahrstuhl, Max Born Berufskolleg

Year 2007• Barcelona Spain: Team Recens• Munich, Germany: Team WARR Scientific Workgroup for Rocketry and Space Flight of German Aerospace Association, Institute for Astronautics at Technical University Munich


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Technical solution of climber – basic scheme

Solar PanelHE Beam Source

DC Drive System

Super Capacitor

Control Circuit

Auxiliary Battery

Remote control device

Y2006 Entry from Spain

Courtesy: Team Recens


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Y2006 Entry from Spain

Lab of team Recens with 2 teammembers and partly assembledclimber mock-up

Detail of climber DC drive and mounted traction wheel


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Y2007 Entry from Germany

Scientific Workgroup for Rocketry and Space Flight at TechnicalUniversity Munich focuses on modular SE climber design

Courtesy: WARR SE TEAM


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Y2007 Entry from GermanyMembers of WARR Space Elevator team and their first dynamic Space Elevator mock-ups at the Institute of Astronautics in Munich

Courtesy: WARR SE TEAM


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Contact

European Space Elevator InitiativeL-8085 Luxembourg-BertrangeE-08392 Barcelona-LlavanerasE-mail: [email protected]

Europes Entries to the US Space Elevator Competition Markus Klettner – SEI Europe – Barcelona Luxembourg European Space Conference, Luxembourg The Space.

Documents

space elevator contest

technology space elevator

space elevator se se

space elevator games

barcelona spain

warr se team slide

team recens slide

brochure slide