Status - doing a dry run…
November 3rd, 2009
I’m sorry for the lack of posts in the past couple of days. Lots of work trying to get the official site of the Space Elevator Games updated, plus getting uStream to work with us, plus getting the media center ready, etc…
The status right now (9:20am, Pacific time), is that they’re getting ready to do a ‘dry run’. There was an all-hands meeting this morning where all the procedures were gone over. A few holes were found, but nothing major. The crew and teams are out on the lakebed getting ready to try everything out so that when the competition starts (tomorrow), hopefully most of the bugs will be out of the system.
If you go to the official site of the Games, and click on the Live Coverage button at the top, you’ll see the Twitter feeds, more photos from the Games and, hopefully, Live TV via uStream.
Right now, the official Games site is tuned different uStream channel so if you want to watch the Dry Run activities today, go to URL http://www.ustream.tv/channel/space-elevator2. At the moment there is video only, but we should have commentary going out on it to today (certainly by tomorrow).
A couple of blog photos for you. The first is moonrise over the desert - the picture doesn’t capture how beautiful it was. The vehicles / trailers in the foreground, under the moon, is the operations center out on the lakebed.
The second photo is of Doug Uttecht, our helicopter pilot. A lot is riding on his competence and from everything we’ve seen, the confidence in him is well placed.
The Games are still scheduled to start tomorrow morning at 7:00am, Pacific time. Stay tuned!
Entry Filed under: News / Announcements, Elevator2010
2 Comments Add your own
1. Ken Gettys | January 2nd, 2010 at 4:57 am
I try to think outside the box. In the context of space elevators, away from a single cable that a climber is attached. Well ok for the first climb, but thereafter climbers will be bringing materials and eventually people into space. And climbers can perhaps lift additional cables into space. Probably a limited payload of cable each time that is spliced with other links. Maybe from the top down as the anchor and ground stations are expanded to handle the extra cable weight. Maybe separate space elevators cables joined together to form very one long and 12’ to 14’ wide tube. Maybe a vacuum tube where climbers are quickly sucked into space.
This recent article
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-09/japan-wants-power-300000-homes-wireless-power-space
is about beaming power from space down to Earth.
Could a space/land sail also use this wireless beam of energy to lift/lower climbers or cables?
2. Steve Willhite | January 21st, 2010 at 2:07 am
I agree that a space “elevator” needs to be built, but the tether design might lead to serious problems if it can cause the earth’s rotation to slow even miniscule amounts. I think the way to go is a solid tower.
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