1/ Purpose:
The Academy has established an IAA Committee on Space Elevators to coordinate efforts in space elevator research and development projects across the globe and within National Space Agencies. The initial Academy efforts were to study the feasibility of space elevators and explain a “way forward.” This was accomplished with the publishing of two major research study results entitled:
• Swan, P., Raitt, Swan, Penny, Knapman. IAA Study Report “Space Elevators: An Assessment of the Technological Feasibility and the Way Forward,” Virginia Edition Publishing Co, Science Deck (2013) ISBN-13: 978-2917761311
https://iaaspace.org/product/space-elevators-an-assessment-of-the-technological-feasibility-and-the-way-forward/
• Swan, P., David Raitt, John Knapman, Akira Tsuchida, Michael Fitzgerald, Yoji Ishikawa, Road to the Space Elevator Era, Virginia Edition Publishing Co., Science Deck (2019) ISBN-19: 978-0-9913370-3
https://iaaspace.org/product/road-to-the-space-elevator-era/
Perceptions of future capabilities of mega-projects are wide ranging and must be stimulating enough to gain approval to move forward. A significant realization about Modern-Day Space Elevators is that they will leapfrog the rocket equation and enable humanity to move off planet with a permanent, efficient, transformational infrastructure. It is difficult to internalize that the future infrastructure will also provide both a revolutionary approach to fast and massive release towards their mission orbits, and a transformational aspect enabling missions not achievable by rockets.
The next steps within this IAA Committee will be focused upon its intention to support any activities in connection with the topic; and, to bring within the reach of every country the opportunity to understand the potential, design approach, and benefits/issues with a developmental program. In this context, the Committee supports all activities to develop and promote concepts and processes by all user communities to conduct or participate in space elevator research and development.
2/ Terms of Reference:
The basis for this IAA committee is structured around the conclusions from the first IAA Space Elevator Research efforts. They are:
• The authors believe that the IAA will have a significant role in future space development with their global reach and cooperation with Space Agencies/Industries/Research Centers.
• The Academy has established an IAA Committee on Space Elevators to coordinate efforts in space elevator research and development projects across the globe and within National Space Agencies.
• The Academy will assist Space Elevator activities in understanding developing space markets, such as Space Solar Power or Asteroid Mining ventures.
3/Scope:
It is the intention of the IAA Permanent Committee on Space Elevators to support any activities in connection with the topic; and, to bring within the reach of every country the opportunity to understand the potential, design approach, and benefits/issues with a developmental program. In this context, the Committee supports all activities to develop and promote concepts and processes by all user communities to conduct or participate in space elevator research and development. Several of these would include:
• For instance, the design of materials to ensure space elevator infrastructures progress must be refined from global efforts dealing with both a) 2-D material potential such as Graphene Super Laminate and b) historic Carbon Nano-tubes.
• Novel types of delivery to GEO and beyond with routine, daily, $500/kg, and soft rides will be proposed ensuring that future commercial visions can be accomplished.
• The exploitation of space elevators to initiate space based solar power is an initial focus which will demonstrate the possibilities available to humanity.
• The deployment of a space elevator transportation infrastructure will change the space arena and significantly improve the human condition through expansion into space while being environmentally neutral.
• The IAA Committee on Space Elevators should be an observatory of the required technologies evolution and their readiness for incorporating them in the Space Elevator.
4/Topics of Interest:
The IAA Committee on Space Elevators is in the lead to coordinate all activities related to Space Elevators within the Academy. The Committee is based upon the experiences gained from the IAA Study Group 3-13, who produced the IAA Study on Space Elevator Feasibility and the IAA Study Group 3-24, which produced the study of assessment the global needs for a space elevator and then laid out functional requirements. These two group results can lead to identification of technological needs and processes for development. It would cover the complete span of related topics including but not limited to: tether dynamics modeling, risk assessment during development and in space, Earth Spaceport development [including High Stage One Option], GEO Spaceport definition, Apex Anchor Spaceport design, legal regime layout [Land, Air, Sea and Space], international policy [including national vs. international, commercial vs. government, space treaties vs government policies, regional approaches, and national approaches], research and development needs in the near future, and potential customer needs and business opportunities.
5/General Tasks
1) Continuing the series of Space Elevator Sessions at the International Astronautical Congress, organizing similar sessions at COSPAR and relevant stand-alone conferences/symposia/workshops on behalf of the IAA, and contributing papers about the SE in conferences not dedicated to the topic, but where some relevant sessions may be devoted to the topic or are sponsored by the Academy.
2) Making presentations in countries and organizations throughout the world, especially in developing countries and countries just beginning their involvement in space activities.
3) Making space elevator infrastructure concepts an integral part of university science and engineering curricula.
4) Promoting and supporting current and new IAA studies dealing with aspects of space elevator missions.
5) Continuing to work with the three major international associations working space elevator development: International Space Elevator Consortium [Seattle, Wash, USA], Japanese Space Elevator Association [Japan], and World Space Elevator Games [New York City, USA].
6) Continue working with other professional groups and societies to expand our knowledge base and contacts, [e. g. COSPAR, IAF, SEDs, AIAA, TBIS, NSS, ISEC].
7) Implementing cooperation with other international organizations having similar goals, e. g., the United Nations, the International Space University, and ISPRS.
6/Specific Tasks:
The following tasks will be accomplished within the next two years with major help from the IAA staff at many locations.
– Review the advancement of the critical technologies required to implement the Space Elevator, this will include materials, control dynamics, etc.
– Publish every other year a Space Elevator Feasibility Status Assessment
– The IAA staff will create an IAA Committee on Space Elevators web page containing all the relevant information related to the General and Specific Tasks identified in this document, with the permanent committee updating once established.
– Organization of the yearly IAA Sessions (D4.3) on Space Elevator within the Far Future Symposium D-4, for the International Astronautical Congress. This would primarily consist of identification of the proposed sessions including scope, chairs and rapporteurs, proposals for joint sessions with other symposia, proposals for Keynote Lectures within the Congress, and Highlight Lectures in the more general IAC frame.
– Coordination of the Academy sponsorship, participation and contribution to selected relevant conferences dedicated to Space Elevators, such as the annual ISEC International Space Elevator Conference in August in Seattle.
– Identification of potential studies on Space Elevator Infrastructure or Development within Commission III or coordinated with any other Academy Commission. This would naturally lead to submission of a proposal of another Cosmic Study based upon the Permanent Group’s concepts.
– Dissemination of information among the members of the Committee, mainly during regular meetings taking place twice a year, before the IAC and during the IAA March meetings in Paris. During these meetings, general information concerning past activities at the international level on Space Elevators will be shared amongst members, including debriefings from past conferences and major related actions (for instance ISEC, COSPAR…). Practical aspects of the preparation of the upcoming Conferences, Symposia, Sessions are also dealt with during these meetings.
– Status will be published each year, at a fixed point in time, and made available using the specific web page created by the Committee. Current plans, 30 days after meeting in week of each IAC.
– Identifying critical milestones and defining the roadmap. Updating them periodically.
– Identifying and inviting critical persons to participate in the IAA Space Elevator Committee.
– Appointing appropriate persons for the positions in charge of each subject, technical or non-technical, and creating the sub-committees with them.
– Inviting the leaders/persons on the related activities to the IAA Space Elevator Committee. Grant them authorization to use the IAA name in their activities.
– Organizing and holding the online (or in-person) meetings periodically. The topics include the development status of each subject, each activity, and information exchange.
– Reporting the regular meeting results, activities, currently focused subjects, major challenges, and the updated roadmap and prospects to the IAA periodically.
– New technical findings are recommended to be presented at the IAC D4.3 Space Elevator Session.
7/Activity:
As the committee has been initiated, the organization will list out the tasking for the team and then break it down into “Projects” for more focused study and analysis. At this time, only one Project will be illustrated below; however, the concept is there will be several being orchestrated simultaneously, each with several of the members of the committee:
Project I: Permanent Architecture Infrastructure Description: This activity will layout the concepts to describe a total permanent infrastructure enabling mission success, such as delivering 170.000 tonnes to GEO Spaceport yearly. The description would identify the major segments of the Modern-Day Space Elevator and define how they would interface with the other segments of the infrastructure.
Chair: Swan, Peter, Ph.D. Secretary: Wright, Dennis, Ph.D.
Other projects will be focused upon, such as: milestones & schedule, dynamics of the tether, tether segment major components, and location of the Earth Spaceport.
8/ Membership:
Chair: Akira Tsuchida
Co-Chair: Yoji Ishikawa
Co-Chair: Swan Peter
Co-Chair:
Secretary:
Members:
(members will be listed after their acceptance as contributors to the committee)
