The space elevator offers an alternate and very efficient method for space travel. It will have two main components. The first component is the tether (or the ribbon), which extends from the Earth to an equatorial satellite at an altitude of about 100,000 kilometres, and is fixed to a base on the surface of the Earth at its lower end. The second component is the climber, which scales the ribbon, transporting payloads to space. An important issue for effective operation of the space elevator will be to understand its dynamics. This thesis attempts to develop a realistic and yet simple planar model for this. Both rigid and elastic ribbon models are considered. Their response to ascending climbers and to aerodynamic loads is studied. Specific climbing procedures are devised based on these results. The effect of the space elevator's motion on the orbit of a launched satellite is also examined.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.99753 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Cohen, Stephen S., 1981- |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Engineering (Department of Mechanical Engineering.) |
| Rights | © Stephen S. Cohen, 2006 |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002593329, proquestno: AAIMR32581, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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