2008-01-19

The 2008 Space Elevator Beam Power Challenge

clipped from en.wikipedia.org
A space elevator would consist of a cable anchored to the Earth's surface, reaching into space. By attaching a counterweight at the end (or by further extending the cable for the same purpose), Inertia ensures that the cable remains stretched taut, countering the gravitational pull on the lower sections, thus allowing the elevator to remain in geostationary orbit. Once beyond the gravitational midpoint, carriage would be accelerated further by the planet's rotation. Diagram not to scale.

A space elevator would consist of a cable anchored to the Earth's surface, reaching into space.
clipped from www.spaceward.org
Welcome to Elevator:2010's annual climber competition.

Spaceward Foundation

Looking for an exciting challenge, as well as a way to try and create easy and affordable access to space? The 2008 Space Elevator Beam Power Challenge has been announced by The Spaceward Foundation, and competitors have the chance at a $2 million top prize. And don’t think the picture included here is complete science fiction. Meteor Crater in Arizona is one of the sites being considered for the competition, which consists of climbing a vertically suspended tether using power beaming technology.

The Beam Power Challenge event is tentatively set for September 8, 2008. The objectives for the 2008 competition are climbing a tether 1 kilometer in height, at 5 meters per second minimum speed, for a prize level of $2M.


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Related:
Universe Today » Get Ready for the 2008 Space Elevator Challenge
The Spaceward Foundation - Home
The Spaceward Foundation
Space elevator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia