Space Elevator Competition: USST's First Place Climb

This video clip is of the University of Saskatchewan Space Design Team's robotic climber at the Elevator:2010 Competition in NM. This is the climb that placed them first at the this years competition (October 19 and 20). This is the second consecutive year that the USST outperformed all other competing teams.

Visit www.usst.ca for more information.

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[Matcow]

What people dont understand about this video is that it is a concept for powering a space elevator. By using light energy that can follow the elevator up, it takes away the heave burden of fuel on the line of the elevator. Basically all the energy gets stored on the ground, and is then converted when it hits the elevator. Also University of Saskatchewan is a CANADIAN university.

[Cssfiend]

although that would be nice, competition itself is a real driving force for the kind of thing, with the tension between the US and China increasing perhaps we will see some real development before they nuke each other

[669Tim]

Um so this thing is gonna take how long to get to space...and I'm thinking u add enough weight to secure the cosmonaut from the vacuum and such it's not gettin off the ground lol even a scaled up version is a joke at best

[krap101]

I wonder if it might have been better to use heat rather than photovoltaics to do this, as solar panels aren't too efficient yet.

[NinjaArt99]

i meant its easy to understand, plus im just one person and would never have the amount of money or skill to build something of that size, i never meant to make that other comment sound bad.

[hobbiz]

that's why they are going to use a powerful laser with automatic aiming-system

have you crunched any numbers, or was that a wild guess?

[hobbiz]

yes, and it would have to me much stronger than that too... it have to be stretched between the station and earth

[hobbiz]

did you really think the first test with a prototype would be to send it to space? it's called research! if you can do it better, why don't you? so many stupid kids who have seen too much tv to understand how real life is working anymore...

[hobbiz]

if it's so easy, why don't you do it? the prize money would be nice i guess.

[hobbiz]

Thats why the most likely scenario is that it would be fastened in a big platform at sea, so it can move slightly in any direction.

Detection of objects is already in use, so no problems there either.

The 2 biggest problems of the idea about a space elevator was ther material of the line (graphene was recently invented, problebly can use that) and propoulsion, which is the point of these contests

[hobbiz]

exactly what i was going to say to you after reading your comments here... Really, what have you been smoking? your comments have to relations to real life at all. I know 6 year old kids who have a better understanding for physics than you.

[SniperViper1000]

Uhhh... Yes we do.