sciencetech-blog

comments

Creating a space elevator on Earth has been considered as a possible way to cheaply and easily get things into space - either for building structures or providing supplies to a space station.

But a team of experts are instead suggesting we should build one on the moon, to get useful material from the lunar surface.

And in a newly released video the infrastructure that might make this possible has been revealed.

Scroll down for video

A Washington-based company is planning to build an elevator on the moon. The LiftPort Group says it could be up and running by the end of 2019. Their design will involve an 'anchor' that is drilled into the lunar surface. Rovers will then scoop up material, to be transport to a space station in orbit

The Washington-based venture known as the LiftPort Group received about £70,000 ($110,000) worth of funding on Kickstarter back in September 2012.

In October this year they also ran a Kickstarter to make a short film called 'Shoot the moon' about the project, which was also fully funded to just over £24,000 ($37,000).

And the group says they can have their ambitious proposal up and running by the end of 2019.

Their plan is to use a 'ribbon' cable to transport material, robots and even humans to and from the surface of the moon.

It will be attached to a space station in a Lagrange Point around the moon, which is a position where the moon and Earth's gravity cancel out, so a spacecraft or station can remain stationary.

The cable from the station, dubbed the PicoGravity Laboratory (PGL), will drop down to a location on the moon known as Sinus Medii - which is roughly in the middle of the face that looks towards Earth.

On the surface will be the Lunar Space Elevator Infrastructure (nicknamed Elsie) Anchor Station.

One of the main purposes of this structure will be mining the surface of the moon. The company plans to release rovers, which will extract valuable elements from the lunar soil.

This will include rare Earth elements and helium-3, which can then either be shipped to Earth or stored in space to be used as fuel.

The cable from the station, dubbed the PicoGravity Laboratory (PGL), will drop down to a location on the moon known as Sinus Medii (shown) - which is roughly in the middle of the face that looks towards Earth

To construct the space station, LiftGroup plans to use a counterweight. This involves 'balancing' the station in orbit with an object so that it stays in position.

For this lunar elevator, the counterweight would be placed at the top of the 155,000 mile-long (250,000km) ribbon, where it would be held in place by Earth's gravitational field.

What material this ribbon will be made of, however, has not yet been revealed. 

The other end of the station will be anchored to the moon, using drills to keep it attached to the surface.

And, like the ISS, the orbiting station around the moon will be modular - so more and more parts can be added over time. 

'LiftPort Group is throwing all of its weight behind the Lunar Elevator,' the company writes on their website.

'The Lunar Space Elevator Infrastructure will serve as both testing ground and demonstration of the feats mankind can accomplish when people work together.

'It'll be a great opportunity to build on current research findings, and in the design and construction we know we'll develop materials and engineering techniques and gain technical knowledge that will apply to the design of Earth's space elevator.' 

To construct the space station, LiftGroup plans to use a counterweight. For this lunar elevator, the counterweight would be placed at the top of the 155,000 mile-long (250,000km) ribbon, where it would be held in place by Earth's gravitational field (shown in illustration)

LiftGroup says their design could be a precursor to an Earth-based space elevator system (Nasa illustration shown), which could make the transportation of material from Earth's surface into space much easier