Technical programme
IAC-08 — 59th International Astronautical Congress
D4. SYMPOSIUM ON THE FAR FUTURE: RENEWED VISIONS
Concepts for the Far Future are developed, refined, forgotten and re-discovered. The key for this symposium organized by the International Academy of Astronautics is the identification of technologies and concepts that will serve the development of humankind in the expansion toward the stars; near term and far distant – for the participants to determine.
- Coordinator
Hans E.W. Hoffmann
— GermanyGiuseppe Reibaldi
Moon Village Association (MVA) — Austria
D4.1. Space Elevator System Infrastructures
The Space Elevator is a revolutionary means of access to space that has attracted attention from a variety of space agencies and corporations. It is currently conceived as a 104.000km ribbon of carbon nanotubes with one end attached to Earth. The Space Elevator will ferry satellites, spaceships, and pieces of space stations into space using electric lifts clamped to the ribbon. This session will review the concepts of infrastructure supporting the customers. Comparisons of proposed systems architectures will be made as well as comparisons of major components.
- Chairman
David Raitt
— The NetherlandsPeter Swan
Teaching Science and Technology, Inc (TSTI) — United States
- Rapporteur
Lachlan Thompson
RMIT University, Australia — Australia
D4.2. Space Elevators and Advanced Concept
This session will cover the concepts being refined for space elevators or space tethers in various orbital locations. In addition, a comparison of technology maturity levels for components will be assessed. The question on the table is… “What can be accomplished in the near future?”
- Chairman
Robert E Penny
Cholla Space Systems — United StatesBruce Chesley
Teaching Science and Technology, Inc (TSTI) — United States
- Rapporteur
Roger X. Lenard
LPS — United States