The Lunar Space Elevator, a Near Term Means to Reduce Cost of Lunar Access

What is it about?

A Lunar Space Elevator [LSE] can be built today from existing commercial polymers; manufactured, launched and deployed for less than $2B. A prototype weighing 48 tons with 100 kg payload can be launched by 3 Falcon-Heavy's, and will pay for itself in 53 sample return cycles within one month. It reduces the cost of soft landing on the Moon at least threefold, and sample return cost at least ninefold. Many benefits would arise. A near side LSE can enable valuable science mission, as well as mine valuable resources and ship to market in cislunar space, LEO and Earth’s surface. A far-side LSE can facilitate construction and operation of a super sensitive radio astronomy facility shielded from terrestrial interference by the Moon. The LSE would facilitate substantial acceleration of human expansion beyond LEO.

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Why is it important?

The Earth's Moon is a treasure trove of mineral resources, such as precious metals, rare earth elements, Helium-3 and Oxygen for propellants. However, the cost of soft landing on the Moon is currently very high. Using modern fibers, we can build a lunar elevator which reduces the cost of lunar landing twelvefold. Furthermore, it makes the cost of collecting material from the Moon and sending it to Earth essentially free. The cost of lunar sample return is reduced by about one thousand times versus chemical rockets. For soft landing payloads, a Lunar Elevator pays for itself in ~100 payload cycles; but for sample return it can pay for itself in as little as a single payload cycle, depending on the sample site. The Lunar Elevator concept is a long tether which is loaded under tension by terrestrial and lunar gravity. One end is anchored on the Moon and the other end free, hanging towards Earth. The center of mass of the Lunar Elevator system is located at an Earth-Moon Lagrange location, either L1 or L2, approximately 50,000 kilometres from the lunar surface. Such a tether can now be built inexpensively from commercially available materials, e.g. Zylon, Dyneema, M5. The near-side L1 tether is attached to the lunar equator at Sinus Medii. From there, trucks or solar powered "hoppers" can travel to and from any point on the lunar surface very inexpensively, compared to sending soft landers directly from Earth by chemical rockets. For the same cost as two communications i.e. one-time capital cost of US$800Million [2012], a lunar elevator can be built today using existing available materials. This first generation lunar elevator will softly deliver an unlimited number of payloads to the lunar surface, each weighing 100 kg, and retrieve the same amount of material from the lunar surface. The alternative of using chemical rockets to soft land on the Moon [or return material] is prohibitively expensive. The first generation lunar elevator kit weighs 30,000 kg and can be delivered today to the Lunar L1 lagrange libration location, using a single SLS launch or three Falcon Heavy launches. Using electric propulsion, a single Falcon-Heavy would suffice. From there the tether is unreeled upwards and downwards. The lower end anchors itself into the lunar soil using robotic penetrators. The first market will probably be Helium-3 which currently sells on the terrestrial market for one million dollars per ounce. There is a critical shortage of Helium-3 which is in great demand for various industrial applications. Terrestrial supplies of Helium-3 will be exhausted by 2030. Helium-3 is abundant on the lunar surface. The lunar elevator can also transport oxygen from the Moon to Low Earth Orbit where it can refuel tugs to take satellites from LEO to GEO, a significant revenue source. This reduces the cost per kilogram of launches to GEO by a factor of about six times. The lunar elevator represents a game changing technology which will open up the Moon to commercial mining and long term human exploration. A recent data point: is the ESA YES2 mission which flew in 2007 ... they deployed a 31.7 km Dyneema tether, the mission cost under 3 million Euros, including student labor ... estimate Eu15 million at commercial prices..... a lunar elevator deployer is the same technology, would need to be scaled up somewhat ... the system design and complexity would be much the same as YES2. The YES2 leader is confident that a 100 km tether can be deployed using existing spare hardware, at similar (perhaps lower) cost, in about a year. LiftPort estimate $800 million for the first lunar elevator prototype. The cost of the Zylon tether material is $20 million, the rest is deployment and control systems. Prior to establishing ISRU technology, a lunar elevator can provide rapid pay back in terms of scientific exploration of the lunar surface more cheaply than chemical rockets. Recent work: A very nice lunar elevator study report from Israel. Student Project at The Technion, Israel, 2008. A full year under the supervision of Dr Alexander Kogan, now retired to Canada. The team is now disbanded, some work at the Israeli Aerospace Industries. Conclusions • Cargo delivery from the Moon to the Earth can be done within 6 days using solar power and no propellant. • The cargo system uses a cable car moving along a stretched ribbon. • The ribbon is kept stretched by terrestrial and lunar gravity. One end is anchored on the Moon and the other one free. • The cargo released from the cable car performs a passive flight to the Earth. At landing, no parachute is needed. Here is the link to the details: http://lunarjacobsladder.webs.com/Jacobs%20Ladder%20IACAS%202010.pdf more details here too ... http://asri.technion.ac.il/jacobs-ladder/ JACOB’S LADDER | Asher Space Research Institute Year 2008 “Jacob’s Ladder” Lunar Elevator Student Team: Ran Qedar, Natan Grinfeld, Georgy Bezrodny, Ortal Reuven, Alex Tatievsky Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Supervisor: Dr. Alex Kogan, Asher Space Research Institute, Technion , Israel. There is a detailed 94 page report at this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leewardspace/10152844946681932/ References: The Lunar Space Elevator http://www.niac.usra.edu/files/library/meetings/fellows/mar05/1032Pearson.pdf The Lunar Space Elevator. Jerome Pearson, Eugene Levin, ... NIAC Phase I Fellows Meeting. Atlanta, GA, 16 Mar 2005 ... Types of Lunar Space Elevators ... Jerome Pearson - Star Technology and Research “The Lunar Space Elevator,” with Eugene Levin, John Oldson, and Harry Wykes, IAC-04-IAA.3.8.3.07, 55th International Astronautical Congress, Vancouver, Canada, 4-8 October 2004. Jerome Pearson, Eugene Levin, John Oldson, and Harry Wykes, “The Lunar Space Elevator,” Space Technology, Vol. 25, No. 3-4, pp. 203-209, 2005. Jerome Pearson, Eugene Levin, John Oldson, and Harry Wykes, “Lunar Space Elevators for Cis-Lunar Transportation,” International Conference, Moon Base: A Challenge for Humanity, Venice Workshop, Venice, Italy, 26-27 May 2005. Lunar Space Elevators for Cislunar Space Development www.niac.usra.edu/files/studies/final_report/1032Pearson.pdf by J Pearson - Cited by 3 - Related articles May 2, 2005 – Jerome Pearson, Eugene Levin, John Oldson and Harry Wykes. Research ... Period Covered: October 2004-April 2005 .... This report proposes the lunar space elevator as a revolutionary method LADDER: The Development of a Prototype Lunar Space Elevator T.M. Eubanks1 and M. Laine2, 1Liftport Luna, Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (2011)

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