Author Topic: Space Elevator college tech project  (Read 2456 times)

Offline Psychoticrow

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Space Elevator college tech project
« on: 02/14/2017 03:27 pm »
Hey, everyone I know there is a big debate on the best way to get stuff from earth into space. The elevator is a personal favorite of mine.

My concept runs on the idea that things are easier to send up in pieces but having people up there putting it together is unreasonable due to the obvious hazards space brings especially over long periods. My idea is to build a base robot that is designed to walk around on metal without gravity that is designed to do a specific task like weld, or put in rivets or drill etc. This base model can than be duplicated each one having its own specific job. Ultimately I wont be able to create each variant at least not yet. But I want to know if anyone thinks this is a bad idea or impossible or if its a great idea and could have potential in actual practice.

This is still very early stages more of a concept at the moment. But the science fiction in me pictures a small army of relatively small spider like bots working in unison to put prefabricated parts together or do repairs.

I realize I did not make this clear. I am not proposing a way to build an elevator. Simply a method of assembling stuff in space using pre-fabbed parts and assembling it together with drones basically.
« Last Edit: 02/14/2017 06:10 pm by Chris Bergin »

Offline muomega0

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Re: College tech project. I have an idea. Is it good?
« Reply #1 on: 02/14/2017 04:32 pm »
It depends on the goal of the project.   One part of the project would to understand the physics and second to perform the calculations , followed by sensitivity analysis or "what ifs".   This all starts with a literature survey.  Identify things that need to be improved or DNE. 

Once the technical solution(s) are found sensitivity studies performed, the next question is What will it Cost? and How Long before its considered? and what is are its competitors.

The shorter answer is that the material properties just do not exist for a complete earth to space elevator, nor have these materials been applied to a less challenging problem.

Another apporach is to narrowed the range of the elevator to say the first 100,000 km or to shift to other planets or asteroids.
     For example MIT did a study to adapt tethers to asteroids to avoid landing.
     More promising tethers begin with simply LEO reboost using the Earth's magnetic field,
         that evolves to a slingshot, that evolves to the elevator. 

Another objective would be to do detailed design with the assumed properties. What happens if it breaks?

Aother objective would be to identify the longer term, lower cost items that would enable the technology.

So you would have to decide is this experience is more suited to future goals than (....  fill in the blank ....), but the process is very valuable. 

Another objective is that you examined a dozen approaches first, compare them, then examined two more in detail. 

Lighter stronger materials almost always receive funding, if future funding is your niche.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0094576595001107

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=14079.0

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/people-are-still-trying-build-space-elevator-180957877/

http://www.spaceelevatorblog.com/?page_id=968

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/176625-60000-miles-up-geostationary-space-elevator-could-be-built-by-2035-says-new-study

http://www.radardaily.com/reports/MIT_Tether_Could_Aid_Asteroid_Missions_999.html

Offline Psychoticrow

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Re: College tech project. I have an idea. Is it good?
« Reply #2 on: 02/14/2017 05:13 pm »
That was extremely detailed and I appreciate that. However I realized I was not clear in something. I am not proposing how to build an elevator only proposing a method of assembling items in orbit/space. Using drones of a sort.

Offline Coastal Ron

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Re: College tech project. I have an idea. Is it good?
« Reply #3 on: 02/14/2017 05:24 pm »
There are already robotic systems be developed for doing work in space, so it's not a question of "if", but "when" and "what".

I would suggest you narrow down your goal to something very specific.  For instance, assembling what?  In what way?

If we were going to build another ISS, then those are large components that need to be moved around for the initial assembly, so something like the Mobile Servicing System (MSS) is required.  But once the modules are joined, then you need to make electrical and other connections on the outside of the modules, which currently has been done by humans.  Now those connections could be redesigned so that they can be done remotely, but no doubt there will be maintenance needs that require detailed work in the vacuum of space.

So do you want to focus on large items or small ones?
If we don't continuously lower the cost to access space, how are we ever going to afford to expand humanity out into space?

Offline john smith 19

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Re: College tech project. I have an idea. Is it good?
« Reply #4 on: 02/14/2017 06:02 pm »
JPL looked at special purpose machines able to build long spars and other structures as part of their on space power systems and large antennas in space.

What exactly is your goal? Build models for an event? Get funding for it? Design it for an end of course project?
MCT ITS BFR SS. The worlds first Methane fueled FFSC engined CFRP SS structure A380 sized aerospaceplane tail sitter capable of Earth & Mars atmospheric flight.First flight to Mars by end of 2022 TBC. T&C apply. Trust nothing. Run your own #s "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof" R. Simberg."Competitve" means cheaper ¬cheap SCramjet proposed 1956. First +ve thrust 2004. US R&D spend to date > $10Bn. #deployed designs. Zero.

Offline dror

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Re: College tech project. I have an idea. Is it good?
« Reply #5 on: 02/14/2017 06:17 pm »
There are already robotic systems be developed for doing work in space, ...

A good example would be SpiderFab:
http://www.tethers.com/SpiderFab.html
« Last Edit: 02/14/2017 06:17 pm by dror »
Space is hard immensely complex and high risk !

Offline mheney

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Re: Space Elevator college tech project
« Reply #6 on: 02/14/2017 06:33 pm »
Also, not sure what exactly the tie-in to a space elevator is.  If you're looking at a manufacturing facility on the elevator, that would have to be at geosync altitude on the tether - it's the only location on a tether in zero-g.  You get the added complication of sitting in a Van Allen radiation belt at that altitude - not a huge deal, comsats do it for decades, but you still need to consider it.   If you're looking at having your bots working in LEO, then there's really no tether tie-in that I can see ...

Offline Asteroza

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Re: Space Elevator college tech project
« Reply #7 on: 02/14/2017 10:14 pm »
Cislunar railroad concept proposes a set of 3 tethers for LEO-Moon transfer ops, the lowest of which is fairly accessible conventionally. That low tether also is a suitable place for in-orbit assembly of launched components into larger structures (beyond the basic concept of check and replacement of components damaged during launch), before tether momentum transfer and delivery to places beyond.

https://hopsblog-hop.blogspot.com/2016/08/tran-cislunar-railroad.html as well as searching the forums here will show more.

For an initial destination and basing area, the super-LEO low tether isn't terrible, but at 9300km it isn't chump change to get there either (.6 km/s additional compared to basic launch to LEO)

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