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    Space Tether

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    aditya.sathigari
    Space tethers are mechanical objects connecting rigid bodies in different orbits using tethers. They can help reduce the amount of fuel needed for space travel by providing mechanical energy to arriving and departing spacecraft. The tethers would use materials like Zylon that can endure stress and small motors could correct the tether's course if needed. A demonstration model uses two motors attached to a model Earth and tether to spin in different directions.

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    Space Tether

    Uploaded by

    aditya.sathigari
    4 views2 pages
    Space tethers are mechanical objects connecting rigid bodies in different orbits using tethers. They can help reduce the amount of fuel needed for space travel by providing mechanical energy to arriving and departing spacecraft. The tethers would use materials like Zylon that can endure stress and small motors could correct the tether's course if needed. A demonstration model uses two motors attached to a model Earth and tether to spin in different directions.

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    Space tethers are mechanical objects connecting rigid bodies in different orbits using tethers. They can help reduce the amount of fuel needed for space travel by providing mechanical energy to arriving and departing spacecraft. The tethers would use materials like Zylon that can endure stress and small motors could correct the tether's course if needed. A demonstration model uses two motors attached to a model Earth and tether to spin in different directions.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    4 views2 pages

    Space Tether

    Uploaded by

    aditya.sathigari
    Space tethers are mechanical objects connecting rigid bodies in different orbits using tethers. They can help reduce the amount of fuel needed for space travel by providing mechanical energy to arriving and departing spacecraft. The tethers would use materials like Zylon that can endure stress and small motors could correct the tether's course if needed. A demonstration model uses two motors attached to a model Earth and tether to spin in different directions.

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    Introduction:-

    What is a space tether? (Rohan)

    Space tethers are mechanical objects consisting of rigid bodies moving in


    different orbits, and the tethers that connect these bodies. The lengths of the
    tethers exceed the size of the connected bodies. In the simplest form, it
    represents two spacecraft connected by a tether with a length of tens, or even
    hundreds, of kilometers. Space tethers are distinguished from conventional
    space vehicles by three main features: their large extent; their flexible
    configuration which manifests in the tether’s ability to change length by
    deploying and retracting to connected spacecraft; and the ability for active
    interaction of an electrodynamic tether with its environment.

    Why space tethers? (Praket)

    Space tethers can help us solve the major issue with space travel that we
    face, i.e., carrying large amounts of fuel, which cut out a lot of free space.
    Infrastructure here on Earth has fixed most of our transportation models, so
    similarly, space infrastructure can fix the problem and reduce the amount of
    fuel we need. Currently, the idea of a space elevator is the most predominant
    idea, but it is far too unrealistic, and expensive. However, space tethers are
    simple, affordable, and don’t depend upon technology that doesn’t exist. It is a
    simple concept, as it is a string with a weight attached to it, spinning around
    the earth, and thus, we should invest in space tether technology. Also, space
    tethers can help us to reach the far away parts of the solar system like the
    asteroid belt, thus it can benefit our economy as well.

    How does it work? (Vibhav)

    As said before, it is simply a weight attached to a string, spinning around the


    earth. It acts as a battery of mechanical energy, which provides energy to
    spacecraft leaving the planet and takes energy from those arriving back. The
    fibers that would be required by a space tether, which would have to endure
    many stresses (like Zylon), already exist. If the tether still deviates from its
    course or loses energy, then we can attach small motors to correct the course
    of the tether. This ensures a stable orbit around the planet. It can be difficult to
    catch a small tether moving through the atmosphere at 12000 km per hour, so
    we can attach navigation drones that help spacecraft find the tether.

    How does the model work? (Aditya)

    The model consists of 2 motors attached at different locations in different


    orientations. One faces upwards while the other faces toward the other motor.
    They are attached to two separate circuits, each with its own battery and
    switch. The first circuit has a 9V battery and the second has 2 batteries of 1.2
    V each. The motor of the first circuit is attached to a model Earth while the
    other is attached to a model tether. Both models can spin in both directions by
    the flip of their respective switches.

    Summary (Dhareesh)

    Space tethers could be the key to allowing humanity to finally expand and
    achieve its true potential. It would allow humanity to grow, into a more
    advanced species, with far greater control of the surrounding resources. We
    will be able to use this energy to further explore the galaxy. All the things
    needed to build this already exist. So, instead of quarreling among ourselves,
    we should keep the future in mind and work towards a better future for all of us
    together.

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