2007 Space Elevator Games – (Entry 73)

Two more unsuccessful attempts.

The Technology Tycoons Climber did not make it to the top this time.  The wind caught it and flipped it on it’s side when it was most of the way up – you can clearly see this in the picture.

The Kansas City Space Pirates DID make it all the way, but they did so in an unofficial time of 1 minute, 25 seconds.  They needed to be less than a minute to have a chance.

So we’re down to one attempt left – that of USST.  We’ll have to see if they have fixed their climber and can really take a run at this.

Here’s hoping…

One thought on “2007 Space Elevator Games – (Entry 73)

  1. Peter Colenberg

    So the snake finally snapped, and the butterfly flapped…
    Superficially it seems like a re-run of last year, with only the Saskatch team coming o so close. They really deserve a Medal.
    But this year’s weather delays, gossamer climbers shredding or flipping over, and the tether failing twice, at least make one thing abundantly clear: what is the key to this Indian rope trick? The answer, my friends, is blowing in the wind!
    USST has shown that lasers should be adopted by all serious contenders, and there should be no more of these dainty butterflies fluttering up on gossamer wings in the sunlight.
    Keep the flimsy panels folded until you are above the weather.
    The tether may need some drastic rethinking as well: tensile strength and weight are not the only parameters that count. Wind shear, twisting forces, temperature sensitivity. It is great that nanotubes arrived, but they should be tested in real-world, high-wind conditions. Not on the rack, but high on the mizzen mast. Lots of work to be done, serious practical challenges. Eventually this is going to fly, but for now we must first face the wind.

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