The Continuing Quest for a Space Elevator
The engineering dreamers with their sights on the stars
Buckminsterfullerene. It’s a word so alien it belongs in the field where it contributes to a singular vision: the creation of a space elevator. The word describes the chemical compound with the formula C60, examples of which are also called “Bucky balls,” named after famed inventor Buckminster Fuller. As an inventor, architect, and author, Fuller was the designer of the geodesic dome (visually reminiscent of a carbon molecule) and the form of carbon made up of 60 atoms became his chemical namesake.
It was in 1895 that novelist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky imagined a space elevator in his story Dreams of Earth and Sky. And while individuals are still pursuing this vision, there is quite a way to go before space elevators are reality. The tallest and fastest elevator on Earth is in China’s Shanghai Tower. Soaring to over 2,000 feet and outpacing the world’s fastest athlete, it’s the best we’ve got … at the moment. But the human imagination is always going onward and upward so … next stop, outer space?
The buck starts here
Buckminsterfullerene leading us into space may be a neat example of the universe taking us full circle. Since their discovery in the 1980s, flexible spherical and ellipsoid forms have been found to not only occur in nature, but may also be responsible for having cosmically seeded our planet with life in the first place. There’s a certain poetic logic to the possibility that these remarkable little structures could be the very things that lift us back into the stars.
Their versatility has seen them be applied to nanotechnology and electronics, but it’s their application to architectural engineering that makes a space elevator more than just a dream. It’s postulated that fullerene could be the stuff to build on in order to construct a space elevator’s high-tensile carbon cables. In essence, it would be an elevator much like any other – going up and down – but to do so into space, the cable would have to be incredibly strong and able to stand up to the opposing pull of gravity and centrifugal force.
A helping hand from physics
The “spine” of the space elevator would be a highly tensile structure. It would utilize both centrifugal force at its upper point and gravity at its equatorial base in order to remain firm. Pulling a piece of fabric taut between your two hands is a good way to imagine the effect. The present obstacle is that there is no existing material that could take the strain. Carbon nanotube technology is the leading candidate to meet the challenge. It’s part of the fullerene family, with the nanotubes providing the most elastic and powerful tensile strength available.
The whole thing would be wirelessly powered by firing a laser into photovoltaic cells. The laser’s energy would then be converted into electricity to fuel the elevator’s mechanical lifter. For a more in-depth look at the mechanics, check out this white paper from Italy’s Department of Structural Engineering.
The companies reaching for the stars
The future may be little more than a few decades away if Japan’s Obayashi Corporation can realize its goals. Engineers aim to have a space elevator constructed by 2050. Its reach of over 59,000 miles would carry robotic cars running on magnetic linear motors. The cost of ferrying space cargo stands to be drastically reduced, not to mention the exciting benefits of lifting humans beyond the stratosphere. The carbon nanotechnology that will comprise the cable is projected to weigh 7,000 tons. Plasma X (as in the Roman numeral for ten) is a New York company currently specializing in building carbon nanotubes.
For $9.99, you can technically buy your ticket for the space elevator by watching the documentary movie Sky Line, which discusses the work being done by dreamers on this stellar project.
A passion of our planet
A space elevator is something that’s on the best engineering minds across the globe. ISEC (International Space Elevator Consortium) has a website that details the worldwide mission to make this concept a reality. They offer a wealth of information and activities including FAQs, a history of the space elevator, and architectural PDFs. Schools can benefit from this resource that offers further education on the space elevator. If you’re keen to get involved, don’t miss 2018’s upcoming events.
The space elevator may be only a concept at this point, but we’d like to think that Connections Elevator will be around to maintain it when it comes into existence. From corporate to condos, we specialize in helping our customers install uniquely-suited elevator solutions. For first-class maintenance and modernization to repairs and contract management, you can reach us at (954) 792-1234, email on info@connectionselevator.com, or fill out our contact form.