Chris Biedrzycki Ned Cameron Mike Gruener Erick Haro Space Elevator Chris Biedrzycki Ned Cameron Mike Gruener Erick Haro

What is a Space Elevator?

What is a Carbon Nanotube? Can be thought of as a sheet of graphite (a hexagonal lattice of carbon) rolled into a cylinder.

Why CNTs? Young's modulus is over 1 Tera Pascal Strength 100x that of steel at 1/6 the weight (estimated tensile strength is 200 Giga Pascal)

Categories of CNTs Multi-walled nanotubes characterized by formation of nanotubes within nanotubes Single-walled nanotubes

Growing CNTs

CNT Fabrication

Chemical Vapor Deposition • Involves heating a catalyst material to high temperatures in a tube furnace and flowing hydrocarbon gas through the tube reactor • The materials are grown over the catalyst and are collected when the system is cooled to room temperature • Key parameters are: – Hydrocarbons – Catalysts – Growth Temperature • CVD process involves the dissociation of hydrocarbon molecules catalyzed by the transition metal, and the dissolution and saturation of carbon atoms in the metal nanoparticle • Both MWNT and SWNT can be grown by CVD methods – MWNTs use acetylene gas for the carbon source and a growth temperature between 600 – 800°C – SWNTs use carbon monoxide or methane for a carbon source and a much higher growth temperature (900 –1200°C)

CNT Fabrication

Arc Method • Carbon Atoms are evaporated by a plasma of Helium gas that is ignited by high currents passed through opposing carbon anode and cathode. He Arc-Discharge • Excellent Method for the production of both MWNT and SWNT • CNTs are obtained by controlling growth conditions – Pressure of gas in discharge chamber – Arcing Current on a collector outside the furnace zone

CNT Manufacturers Carbon Solutions CarboLex Carbon Nanotechnologies, Inc. Fullerene International Corporation Junye Nano Materials, Co. Luna Nanomaterials Luxtera Nanocs International Nanoledge Oxonica Showa Denka KK Deal International Inc. Micro Tech Nano, Inc Nano Carb Lab(NCL) NanoLab, Inc Nanostructured and Amorphous Materials, Inc Nanosys Catalytic Materials LLC INPT 19 companies

Making Ribbon

Ribbon

Problems Encountered Cost – High production costs Separation – Untangling nanotubes Length – 63,000 mi is a lot of ribbon

Applications to Elevator

Elevator in Orbit

Deployment

Anchor

The Climber

To Infinity and Beyond…. Gigantic antenna – Capable of receiving radio waves from distant sources Large Geosynchronous Station – capable of hundreds of permanent residents, science labs, pharmaceutical factories Settlements on Mars, Moon, Venus

Troubleshooting Cable breakage – unrepairable 2x safety factor If breaks, some will splash down, some will burn up Still create less waste than burning a rocket Nano-epoxy (Nano-tape) – Still in the developmental stages High winds - 155mph winds (Class 5 hurricane) can snap the ribbon position is not in a high wind, or hurricane area Electricity – Is a concern, but chosen location avoids lightning strikes. Oscillations –7-hour natural frequency actively damped by the anchor Radiation – Components are good for 1000 years in orbit Mobility Anchor can move ~1 km each day to avoid debris and satellites Anchor is ~400 mi from all shipping and airplane routes Using current materials? – No.

Entities Involved 3M Corporation Los Alamos National Laboratory Art Anderson Associates Nanoledge Augur Aeronautical Centre NASA - Johnson Space Center Bennett Optical / Compower Owens-Corning Carbon Nanotechnologies Inc. Princeton University Lockheed Martin ReyTech European Space Agency Rutgers University Flight Materials Group U of Mississippi – Space Law Center Foster-Miller, Inc. T. Y. Lin International Harvard University Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory HighLift Systems University of Kentucky

Pricing Now, Cargo $50,000/lb Now, Cargo 4,000lb/day Component Cost Estimate Launch Cost $1.02 B Cable Production $390 M Spacecraft $507 M Climbers $367 M Power Laser $1.5 B Anchor Station $120 M Tracking Facility $500 M Other $430 M Contingency (30%) $1.44 B Total $6.2 B Now, Cargo $50,000/lb Now, Cargo 4,000lb/day First Elevator, Cargo $100/lb First Elevator, Cargo 12,000lb/day

Method to Improve Elevator Use superconducting property of nanotube ribbon Maglev type ascention

Conclusion

Questions

Thanks !!! Online Learning Team IRT / ITS Drexel University