Topic: NASA hosting space elevator competition

[Nemesis]

Link to full article

Considering it's no small feat of optics, electricity and mechanics, NASA and the nonprofit Spaceward Foundation are hosting the first-ever competitions this weekend offering $50,000 to teams with the best design of robot climber and ribbon. The competition, to be held here at NASA's Ames Research Center, is merely a conceptual demonstration of the space elevator.

The "Beam Power" Challenge, which will kick off Saturday at 5 a.m. PST, will test the design and efficiency of robot climbers, machines that can ascend and descend a 50-meter tether ribbon while carrying a payload.

Seven teams from the United States and Canada will get three chances to climb the ribbon, having to travel at a minimum speed of 1 meter per second. For each climb, teams get a score that's a product of their payload mass and average velocity. The team with the highest score will win $50,000.

Many of the climbers are powered by solar cell panels. The Spaceward Foundation will cast a 10 kilowatt light onto the solar panels, if used, to give the bots power up the tether. As the ascent begins, the light will carry as much intensity as three to four suns, but toward the top, its intensity will equal only about one sun.

A blistering (minimum) speed of 2.24 mph.  Better than a year to achieve geosynchronous orbit (at minimum speed).  I think that they must be planning on a speed upgrade later on. 

If Canadians win this and the thing is actually built NASA will not only be using the Canada Arm but the Canada Feet as well. 

[Stormbringer]

Going uuuuuup!

[Tus-XC]

cool, though one must wonder what will happen when its struck by somthing in orbit or micrometeorites.... that would suck... half way up and then snap, ur lil elvators gets whiped violently, and if u live its going to be a long fall to the ground .  besides that is a good idea  (i personally think somthing like a long magnetic rail would be a better solution)

[Nemesis]

Going uuuuuup!

Then some nut will try base jumping from the 300,000^th floor.  Another nut will then try to beat him by jumping from the 400,000^th only to find that being above geosynchronous orbit they fall UP not down.

[Tus-XC]

not quite, outside earths sphere of influence they'll fall toward the sun, though it sucks just as much

[Nemesis]

cool, though one must wonder what will happen when its struck by somthing in orbit or micrometeorites.... that would suck... half way up and then snap, ur lil elvators gets whiped violently, and if u live its going to be a long fall to the ground .  besides that is a good idea  (i personally think somthing like a long magnetic rail would be a better solution)

Which is why most proposals involve a webbing with many crosslinks so that anything that hit it would have to be too big to get past radar without being detected well in advance.  With a good orbital plot the stalk being flexible could sway out of the way.

[Nemesis]

not quite, outside earths sphere of influence they'll fall toward the sun, though it sucks just as much

Most likely they would still be in the Earths orbit an elipitical one.  Higher up it would depend on the angle of departure.  They could end up in a solar orbit or even leaving the solar system and yes they could impact the sun.

[Tus-XC]

there wouldn't be to much swaying, as any attempt would already put said line under an even greater tension, assuming it can handle it, the resulting wave produced by swaying would be quite powerful, and anything on the line would probably be thrown off.  plus swaying woudl involve chaning the orbit of a specfic section of the cable, somthing that takes a lot of energy.  for example, launching a satelite into a into an equatorial orbit then chaniging its inclination to 60deg takes as much energy as it took to get it into orbit in the first place. of course thats just one small problem in a mess of others.  assuming all of them are solved and we don't find a cheaper way into space it will work just fine

[Stormbringer]

there wouldn't be to much swaying, as any attempt would already put said line under an even greater tension, assuming it can handle it, the resulting wave produced by swaying would be quite powerful, and anything on the line would probably be thrown off.  plus swaying woudl involve chaning the orbit of a specfic section of the cable, somthing that takes a lot of energy.  for example, launching a satelite into a into an equatorial orbit then chaniging its inclination to 60deg takes as much energy as it took to get it into orbit in the first place. of course thats just one small problem in a mess of others.  assuming all of them are solved and we don't find a cheaper way into space it will work just fine

It is my understanding that the repositioning ofthe cable will be electrodynamic and based on pairs of rotating lesser tethers cutting earths magnetic field lines. these rotating tethers will be part ofthe stabilization system anyway so it is not really complicating the design any further.

[Nemesis]

One thing to remember is that we are talking about a cable whose Earth to geosynchronous orbit is slightly over 22,000 miles long.  Some oscillating is inevitable in that length.  A sway of a few feet is negligible in that length.  The total length would be much longer (up to perhaps 100,000 miles depending on taper).

Link to wiki entry

The space fountain is also interesting.  The Robert L. Forward entry inthe wiki is also interesting.

[Nemesis]

                              NO ONE!
Though a Canadian team made the greatest height (12 meters ~39 feet) everyone was too slow.

[Stormbringer]

YUP.  there is always next year and so on. No one wone the X prize for years either but now...
The best thing about this tyep of competition is it focuses attention on the gaol and draws the most motivated and brightest into the process.

[Nemesis]

YUP.  there is always next year and so on. No one wone the X prize for years either but now...

Next year the prize money doubles.  This time the contestents were limited by the contest only being announced 6 months in advance and by the power being from a NASA search light.  Next year they will obviously have had more time to prepare and will also be allowed to build their own powersupply, whether a laser, maser or gerbil in a wheel is up to them.

The best thing about this tyep of competition is it focuses attention on the gaol and draws the most motivated and brightest into the process.

Also since you only get paid for winning keeping costs down is an important factor.  Imagine Spaceship One (and Two) done as a NASA contract.