Carousel Spacecraft Electrical Lift Around the Earth Up To

GEO

J. E. D. Cline1
1P O Box 9243, Glendale, CA 91226-0243, USA jed-
cline@kestsgeo.com http://www.kestsgeo.com

Abstract. Intended to provide new solutions to major crises upcoming

for mankind, the earth-encircling carousel form of space elevator could have
major impact on civilization. Intent is to solve crises in energy, greenhouse
gas, recycling of toxic and high entropy materials, sustainable space access,
and room to grow. Very unconventional to today's Aerospace and even to
anchored tether space elevators, the electrically powered and supported Carou-
sel form of space elevator would have a conceptual complexity level very
similar to the common CD drives found in today's computers. The much larger
perimeter of the Carousel, however, would resemble the 131,300 Km loop of
an Orbital Transfer Trajectory between Earth’s equatorial radius and GEO.

1. Intent

This is a conceptual design outlining the functional principles of a potential near-future

space access transportation system, its interface with civilization, the enabled applications in
space for the sustenance and expansion of civilization, and anticipated effect on civilization. The
introduction of a major new application set of technology needs to explore both technological
feasibility and potential impact on civilization in the environment. Intended to provide new
solutions to major crises upcoming for mankind, the earth-encircling carousel form of space
elevator could have major impact on civilization, requiring utmost of wisdom and integrity.
Intent is to solve crises in energy, greenhouse gas, recycling of toxic and high entropy materials,
sustainable space access, and room to grow.

2. Conceptual Complexity and Physical Size

Unconventional to today's Aerospace and even to anchored tether space elevators, the
Carousel form of space elevator would have a conceptual complexity level very similar to the
common CD drives found in today's computers. Utilizing both rotary and linear synchronous
electric motor functions for supporting and servo positioning the main track structure, along with
directly lifting spacecraft vehicles up from the ground to GEO and gently returning them from
GEO to the ground while reclaiming much of the spacecraft’s energy during descent, a poten-
tially very high transportation efficiency system is envisioned here.
The rather small electrical motor structure of the common CD drive does not compare
with the much larger perimeter of the Space Carousel. It would have a very much larger physical
perimeter size, resembling the 131,300 Km eccentric loop of an Orbital Transfer Trajectory
around the planet, extending between Earth’s equator and up to GEO above the far side of the
planet.

3. Structural Mass Support: Primarily a Rotary Motor Function

The rotary motor function is provided by the entire hoop structure seen as a whole. The
earth-stationary part of the somewhat OTT-shaped structure’s weight is primarily supported by
the stored kinetic energy of electromagnetically coupled motor armature mass streams circulat-
ing within the structure, rather than being supported strictly by the molecular bonding energy of
conventional structure component materials. The armature segment mass streams coast around
the planet sliding at high velocities along magnetic levitation tracks, then are re-accelerated back
to servo-controlled velocity as they pass through the synchronous mass drivers in the earth sur-
face terminal site. Such a site might be within an equatorial-aligned tunnel in the Andes moun-
tains. The mass stream velocity is chosen to be sufficiently faster than orbital transfer velocity so
that their resultant outward centrifugal force slightly more than offsets the force of gravity on the
stator structure with its loads, to provide an overall tensile upward stress on the structure.

4. Spacecraft Lift to GEO: Servoed Linear Motor Function

The servoed linear motor function would be utilized by the mass stream electrodynamic
inductive drag lifting of the spacecraft up along the carousel structure from the ground up to
GEO, and gently return back to the ground while reclaiming much of the spacecraft’s mass de-
scending energy.
Additionally, the upward-motion sides of the contra-rotating armature mass streams would
be laterally distributed within the cross-section of the structure. Servo controlled differential
electrodynamic drag among the mass streams would provide some lateral differential twist to
compensate for wind and other lateral forces on the structure.

Sliding Track Track experiences upward thrust

while armature segment experi-
ences downward thrust

Armature Segment

Figure 1. Sliding armature segment energy-momentum transfer along a curved track structure
 Dots represent armature
segments mass stream

Spacecraft being raised

by Escalator Carousel

Space Escalator Carousel

motor structure

Earth’s equator

Geostationary Earth Orbit

Spacecraft being lowered

by Escalator Carousel

Synchronous mass driver for

armature mass stream

Figure 2. Armature mass rapidly circulating around the planet electr0odynamically drags
spacecraft up to GEO.

5. The Earth Surface Terminal Site

For example, a ground terminal site built within an east-west tunnel through the Ecadorian
Andes mountains, would enclose a hard vacuum facility. This facility primarily contains the
synchronous mass drivers that replenish the kinetic energy of each armature segment after it has
coasted around the planet along the structure’s maglev track system, and provides the optimum
exit velocity vector as it exits into the hard vacuum enclosing tubing containing the magnetic
levitation tracks. The mass drivers have the mass of the earth to thrust against as they accelerate
the armature mass streams down through the tunnel along the maglev tracks. The tubing en-
closes a hard vacuum environment, protecting the meteroric velocity armatures from contact
with the air in the atmospheric portion of the path around the planet. The armature mass streams
are paired as contra-rotating sets, to cope with their gyroscopic precession as the planet rotates.
The path of the armature segments take a cycloidal shape, as they follow the planetary rotation
as they also rotate around the planet.
 5
4
3 7
6

5 2 11
6
8
1
3
9 10
3

1 Earth’s equator
2 Escalator Carousel
3 Captive spacecraft
4 GEO Spaceport
5 SSPS
6 Microwave beam
7 Mass spec recycler
8 Shielded habitat
9 GEO
10 Ground terminal
11 GEO terminal

Figure 3. Overall shape of the transportation structure around the Earth,

along with some of its important applications it could enable construction in GEO

6. Electrical High Lift Efficiency Would Enable Valuable Applications

A proposed new transportation system needs to provide initial vision as to what possi-
bilities it would allow. Since the electrical equivalent of the energy that is given to a mass by
moving it from the equatorial surface up to GEO is only 15.7 KWh/Kg, an electrically powered
transportation system functioning with an order of magnitude of that value, seems likely to allow
applications such as these:

• Construction of adequate Satellite Solar Power Stations in GEO to cleanly power

worldwide civilization worldwide, dropping CO2 accumulation.

• Construction of large scale solar powered mass-spectrometer type total recycling plants
in GEO to change toxic or entropicaly amalgamated waste materials back to useful
forms. Provide economical lift of those materials between the ground and the plants in
GEO.

• Shift all spaceport reaction engined vehicle launch facilities up to GEO, electrical lift to
start journeys already 91% up out of earth’s gravitational energy well, making entirely
new kinds of space ventures possible.

• Construction of prototypes of passively shielded Stanford Torus type, 10,000 person

each, comfortable space habitats in GEO.

7. Utilizing Low Density Construction to Minimize Catastrophic Damage

Design of the carousel type space elevator might incorporate low density components to
control potential damage to other structures. For example, in case of uncontrolled catastrophic
collapse of the transportation structure, when impacting the Earth’s atmosphere, wide dispersion
of mass within the cross section of the structure could enable disintegration higher in the atmos-
phere, minimizing damage to the earth’s surface.

8. Scaling of Structure Up to Operational Capacity Size

The design needs to provide for bootstrap scaling of the structure up to full capacity girth,
starting from the millimeter-girth needed for relatively low cost and risk during emplacement
tries of the "seed" structure, and for the eventual orderly dismantlement and component recy-
cling of the original structure; for the the ground-coupled push on a full ring of GEO space habi-
tats to prevent orbital decay collapse.

9. Future Work

Next stages of this project ideally would form a multi-faceted approach. A very wide range of
topics need to be addressed. These include, in part:

• Mathematical modeling of the overall transportation system, synchronous with earth’s

rotation. Provision to deliver thrust to massive structures it enables built in GEO, so as
to offset their long term orbital decay, as part of the overall model, as well as the servo-
positioned transportation function..

• R & D on the basic armature mass stream technique for transferring energy and mo-
mentum along inductive magnetic levitation tracks, with the synchronous armature
segments sliding along in a hard vacuum provided by the structure at velocities between
10 and 40 Km/s.
 • Prepare for practice with earth-encircling emplacement techniques for the counter rotat-
ing millimeter-cross-section seed structures. later versions would be designed for being
scaleable up to commercially successful transportation capacity size.

• A side project to put a prototype 1,000 person toroidal rotating habitat in upper LEO, to
do real R&D on site in preparation for self-sufficient larger Stanford Torus type cities
in space, the small proto being lifted by unmanned dual reusable tug vehicles which se-
quentially emplace, into a ring form, the wet launched prefab habitat modules designed
to serve as their own fuel tanks during launch.

• Explore ways to deal with lack of acceptance by the present business system. Empha-
size the opportunities it would create for them, such as providing electrical power for
all nations, total recycling of their worst waste products, spaceport facilities high in
GEO, and options for passively shielded large scale living space built in GEO.

Grants for these projects, along with a grant for the author’s more effective contributions,
would hasten this project along in a timely fashion.

10. Conclusions

Given wholesome adequate means for human coping with stress of change during the de-
velopment, construction and application of a carousel space elevator project with its enabled
applications, this system surely could provide wholesome new direction to the vigorous drama of
people in the flow of civilization to increase the survivability of all, in the race for completion
and application before exhaustion of petrochemical energy supplies.

References

Clarke, Arthur C., “The Exploration of Space“, Cardinal edition June 1954.
Cline, J E D (JEDCLINE1), “ENERGY/TRANSPORT SYSTEM”, GEnie Space Library file
#563, 1988 (http://www.kestsgeo.com/pages/geniefiles/g563.html)
Cline, J.E. David, “Treehouse Haven”, Meditation Magazine, 1989
Cline, James E. D. (JEDCLINE1), “LONGTRANS 2”, GEnie Space Library file #927, 1989
(www.kestsgeo.com/pages/geniefiles/g927.html)
Cline, J. E. D. “A Potential Application of General Systems Theory: KESTS: A Unique Trans-
portation Technology Concept & Implications” Presentation to Los Angeles Chapter of ISSS,
November 9, 1994. (http://www.kestsgeo.com/pages/issskests.html)
Cline, J. E. David. “Wet Launch of Prefab Habitat Modules.” Space Manufacturing 10, Path-
ways to the High Frontier, SSI, AIAA, 1995, 88-91
Cline, James E. D. “Kinetically Strengthened Transportation Structures.” Space 2000 Confer-
ence Proceedings, ASCE, 2000, 396-402.
Cline, James E. D. “Kinetically Supported Bridge Vehicle Lift To GEO.” Space 2002 Robotics
2002 Conference Proceedings, ASCE, 2002, 8-21.
Cline, James E. D. “Comments and alternatives, by Jim Cline, regarding the anchored tether
Space Elevator project proposed by Bradley Edwards...”, 2002,
www.kestsgeo.com/pages/cobetse.html
Cline, James E. D. “Energy Flow in Kinetically Strengthened Transportation Structure Systems
to Space” Earth & Space 2004 Conference Proceedings, ASCE, 2004, 859-866.
Hyde, Rod, “The Starbridge Concept” , L-5 Society lecture, Sunnyvale CA Sept. 23, 1984
Lofstrom, K.H., “The Launch Loop”, L-5 NEWS, 8-9, Aug. 1982
NASA, "Space Settlements, A Design Study", NASA SP-413, 1977
Smith, Earle, “The Texas and Universe Railroad”, L-5 NEWS, 9-11,1985