Presentations

A space elevator has been proposed as a future space transportation system. It is the concept of the space elevator to stretch a cable from the surface of the Earth by the centrifugal force of rotation, and to use it for transporting cargo into space. Two types of the space elevator have been proposed, based on the operation method. One is a climber type, which is operated by self-climbing carriers that are called “climber”. Second is a gondola type, which is operated by stationary power via the cable. A lot of studies about the climber type have been carried out from 1990s. By contrast, the gondola type has not been studied well, because the gondola type has disadvantages such as the requirement of high mechanical strength for power source elements. Therefore, in this report, we suggest Ground Power Operated Gondola Type Space Elevator, as shown in Fig.1, and consider its cable dynamics such as a method which is commonly used for the climber type. The greatest characteristic of the suggested space elevator is the circulating of the cable, which has an advantageous in maintenance of the cable.