Overview of Space Elevators
Bruce Mackenzie
Wed Jan 14, 07-09:00pm, Building 33 Lounge
Thu Jan 15, 01-02:00pm, Building 33 Lounge
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session
An overview of a proposed "space elevator", its feasibility and impact on space exploration and utilization. It may soon be possible to drop a 'ribbon' from a geosynchronous satellite, and climb up. Such a space elevator was only in the realm of science fiction, until the discovery of carbon nanotubes, which may be strong enough to support their own weight for that distance. A space elevator would completely change the economics of satellite launch by lowering the cost of geosynchronous (geo) satellites by climbing beyond geo, craft would be thrown throughout the inner solar system. Human exploration and settlement of mars and asteroids would be possible much earlier than with rockets.
Contact: Bruce Mackenzie, (781) 944-7027, BMackenzie@alum.mit.edu
Sponsor: Jasmin Moghbeli, BAKER-HOUSE # 515, 617 225-7265, jmogs@mit.edu
Latest update: 12-Jan-2004
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