New space prizes target space elevators

[zakur]

Story

Space elevators - a futuristic idea in which space is accessed via long tethers with the power needed being transmitted on beams of light - are the target of two new cash prizes, sponsored by NASA.

The prizes, announced on Wednesday evening, are the first in a series called "Centennial Challenges", modelled on the $10 million X Prize recently awarded to the first privately developed spacecraft. Winning teams will receive $50,000 in 2005 for either building the strongest strand of material or for using light to power a wireless robot up a cable.

[...]

In 2006, the challenge will include building the source of power, as well, and the top three teams will again receive $100,000, $40,000 and $10,000, respectively.

NASA is set to announce more centennial challenges in the coming weeks.

Do you think these prize amounts (piddly in comparison to the $10 million X Prize) will be sufficient to spur innovators?

 

[thatguywhojuggles]

Story Do you think these prize amounts (piddly in comparison to the $10 million X Prize) will be sufficient to spur innovators? [/B]

I don't completely understand what the challenge is, but it sounds like the cost of materials would be much lower than the X Prize contest. Of course, if I recall, the people who won the X Prize spent much more than 10 million on the project. In the end it's about recognition and patents.

 

[jmercer]

If someone can create a cable that light and that strong, then they could blow the 50k on a celebration party... because they're going to make Bill Gates look poor after a while.

 

[thatguywhojuggles]

If someone can create a cable that light and that strong, then they could blow the 50k on a celebration party... because they're going to make Bill Gates look poor after a while.

the teams will have to build a power receiver that can convert this radiation to electricity with photoelectric cells and lift a climbing robot carrying at least 25 kilograms up a 50-metre cable.

The cable is only 50 meters. They only have to make a robot climb the cable using the light from below it. I imagine the cable will be hung from a building or something. The test will also probably be done in darkness, so they can't cheat and use solar panels collecting ambient light.

 

[jmercer]

You can create some pretty light and strong cables using standard technology... so to win the prize, you'd have to do something innovative and probably unheard of. Do it well enough, and you'll be rich from the immediate applications. I'd imagine that nanotechnology might provide an answer to this.

Regarding powering the robot up the cable with light... without specific rules, I don't know how easy or difficult that would be. If I built a robot with photoelectric cells all over it and splashed a 10 megawatt laser on it, I suspect I could easily generate enough electricity to move a small robot up the cable. If lasers are ruled out, then the effort becomes much more challenging.

 

[patnray]

Story Do you think these prize amounts (piddly in comparison to the $10 million X Prize) will be sufficient to spur innovators? [/B]

It is not nearly enough to spur a project to build a space elevator. However, it may be enough to spur entrants in these contests since the task is broken down into much more easily achieved goals. You don't have to produce a cable strong enough for an elevator, just one stronger than the other competitors...

And as jmercer pointed out, anyone developing a cable strong enough for a space elevator would become quite rich from other applications of the technology.