One of the known problems which will have to be solved before a Space Elevator can become a reality is space debris. I ran across this article, detailing one of the sources of debris. In 1963, the Air Force launched a rocket that put 480 million tiny copper needles into space, and, according to the same article, some of them are still there. Interesting reading.
Daily Archives: May 17, 2006
Warning, Will Robinson, Sheboygan is getting lost in space.
One small step for NASA, One giant leap for the X Prize
Over at Lunar Lander Challenge, Robin writes, in some detail, about NASA’s Centennial Challenges. Though the bulk of the article discusses the X Prize, he does mention the Tether and Climber challenges.
One line in the story stood out; “…now that Spaceward Foundation is considering an invitation to stage its competitions in Las Cruces this year.” Note the verb “considering.” So is the date/location change to October 19th-22nd / Las Cruces (as reported at the Space Elevator Reference site) definite or not? I called Elevator2010 and left a message – hopefully they’ll call me back soon and I’ll let everyone know.
Next Floor – Men’s Fashion, Sporting Goods and the Ionosphere …
In this Yahoo Finance story, Zilog announces that they are going to be supplying 8 bit hardware and software to the University of British Columbia team that is competing in the 2006 Space Elevator Games. It’s a good story and it’s interesting to read about Team Snowstar, but the story has the old date and location for this years competition; as announced on the Space Elevator Reference site, the games this year will be held from October 19th through the 22nd at Las Cruces, New Mexico.