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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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Do you have any open internships?
We typically take 2-4 undergraduate junior and senior interns per year in the summer. Summer internships last about 2-3 months. We are also happy to accept grad students looking for co-op opportunities.
If you’d like to be considered for a summer internship, please send your resume, LinkedIn profile, and cover letter about why you’d like to work on this project. Interns are not paid yet and competition is tight.
Are you hiring?
Unfortunately because our project is so underfunded at the moment we aren’t hiring full time yet. Most of our workers are volunteers of various specialties. If you’d like to work with us as part of our volunteer network until we can pay full time salaries, send us your LinkedIn profile and a cover letter in the contact form.
What is your Technical Advisory Council?
The Technical Advisory Council is a formalized body of professionals and experts who we will call on to answer tough questions about the feasibility of the Lunar Elevator. We are actively reaching out to professionals in a variety of skillsets to expand and augment our Technical Advisory Council. We invite scientists, engineers, architects, artists, and every other professional skill to get involved with this project. The requirements to join our Technical Advisory Council are to hold a Masters or PhD and/or 15 years’ experience in your field of expertise.
Will the Lunar Elevator connect the Moon and the Earth?
No, the Moon and the Earth will not be connected. The Earth Elevator will be tethered to the Earth, and extend out past Geosynchronous orbit into space. The Lunar Elevator will be tethered to the surface of the Moon and extend into space towards the Earth, but still about 135,000 km away.
Will there be an Elevator on the far side of the Moon?
There will very likely be another Lunar Elevator on the far side of the Moon (in time), as it would be the most shielded place to do further radio astronomy research, which could uncover more clues about the universe. Plus imagine the view!
Can we still contribute to the Kickstarter campaign?
The Kickstarter is well and truly closed, but you can still help give us the money we need to achieve our goals by buying our merchandise on our website. Our Kickstarter robot no longer works, but we have a new Lifter robot that climbed 850 feet in June 2016 (short of our target but a promising start).
Are you using carbon nanotubes?
We are getting to the point where our technology is catching up to our imagination, so our Elevator may be built sooner than many think. So far, carbon nanotubes are the most likely material for the Earth Elevator tether. The issue with carbon nanotubes today is being able to assemble them into long, strong strands.
Because we are now focused on the Lunar Elevator (the requisite materials for which already exist), we have discontinued our research on carbon nanotubes.
Why are you building the Elevator on the Moon?
The Lunar Elevator can be built with technology available today, as opposed to some point in the future pending scientific advancements. The LSEI is key to allowing humans to utilize the Moon, which could drastically increase our footprint in space by giving the world a base for future space missions.
Your site doesn’t really contain any details on how to build the Elevator.
You are right, our site currently contains only the broad overview, and we haven’t posted any real details yet. While we do have some details, we don’t even have all the questions yet, let alone all the answers. As we begin raising money, we will be conducting research into every aspect of the Lunar Elevator. We are also writing a technical book that should be available in 2017; even with that, there will still be many unanswered questions.
How do you pay for the Elevator?
There are many possible revenue streams from this project, and we are currently pursuing several. The goal of LiftPort Group is to use a combination of revenue and outside investment to build the largest engineering project humanity has ever seen. Of course, the key is not just in the ideas, but in the execution. Much more research has to be put into the Elevator.
How will the Earth Elevator be powered?
Energy is a critical element of the Earth Elevator. We have considered several options. Ideally, we want an aircraft carrier style nuclear reactor on the LiftPort ship to power our operation. Since that is unlikely to happen, we are also considering OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion), diesel, harnessing wave energy, and floating solar grids. All of these options have significant drawbacks, which is why none of them have been fully developed.
Can you use a maglev system (like how a bullet train operates) instead of a ribbon?
While it’s true there are a lot of sci-fi stories that use maglev systems in their space elevators, maglev technology is so heavy that it is impossible to implement on our Earth Elevator as yet. The maglev track would simply crumple under its own weight. There is a Japanese company who is considering using maglev for a Space Elevator by 2050, but the Earth Elevator as designed now can’t use it. It’s possible that in the future there will be iterations that could use it.
Could you start the elevator "cord" at 120K feet to then pull the cargo to the edge of space?
This is actually is a really good idea that has been strongly studied; it’s called the High Anchor or High Station. It dramatically simplifies several elements and may even allow for a thinner, weaker cable. The same mechanics would apply, as the Earth Elevator would be connected to the High Station, and then more traditional materials could connect the High Station down to the ship at sea. There are strong arguments for and against this scenario, but as an early precursor we support it. Our friends at JP Aerospace have a project called the Dark Sky Station; tying our tethered technology to the Dark Sky station is a viable option.
Where is the Space Elevator Museum?
Tacoma, Washington. Unfortunately at the moment the display has been taken down.
Is wind a problem?
Yes, wind is a problem, but not as much as you might think. We take advantage of the Coriolis Effect by placing our ship on the equator. Here the wind diminishes and big storms like typhoons and hurricanes dissipate almost entirely due to the air currents being pulled away from the equator into the respective hemispheres. The ribbon is also flexible, so the wind will move it like a weather vane, preventing the flat side from incurring any wind damage.
Can’t you just use a valve to turn on the vacuum of space?
The vacuum valve plan doesn’t work because gravity holds the atmosphere to the Earth. The vacuum of space isn’t strong enough to pull the air molecules we breathe away into space, so it certainly isn’t strong enough to pull our robotic cars out into space.
Do you accept ideas from people not on your team?
Yes! We’ve gotten some really useful advice from unexpected sources before, so we’re always happy to chat. We once got a piece of advice from a member of the public that would save us a billion dollars in costs for the LiftPort Earth Elevator ship.
Do you fund outside projects?
We appreciate your ideas (hopefully many of them will change the world) but we can’t fund any outside projects at this time.
Will the ribbon just be a big cable?
The Earth Elevator ribbon will actually be more wide and flat so that it can better handle a micro-meteor strike. A strike to a cable/string would degrade the string much more than striking a wide surface, thus ensuring it is far less likely to break.
Do you ever hire veterans?
Of course. The military teaches many excellent skills, and it is always an honor to work alongside those who sacrificed so much for their country. Michael spent 4 years in the Marine Corps, and comes from a military family.
How do you do it?
While it is often Michael’s name and face on the screen, it is a much larger team that makes any of this possible. And we’re nothing special - it’s the project that is special. The project of the Elevator is phenomenal and makes us strive to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be.
Why don’t you give up?
Despite the hard work and many failures, the rewards vastly outweigh the hardships. The Elevator is a way to move humanity to the stars, forever changing our world, we believe, for the better. We wouldn’t have a hope of building a Space Elevator if we gave up when things didn’t go as planned. In the course of achieving anything great, everyone gets knocked down. What matters is deciding to stand up again.
We typically take 2-4 undergraduate junior and senior interns per year in the summer. Summer internships last about 2-3 months. We are also happy to accept grad students looking for co-op opportunities.
If you’d like to be considered for a summer internship, please send your resume, LinkedIn profile, and cover letter about why you’d like to work on this project. Interns are not paid yet and competition is tight.
Are you hiring?
Unfortunately because our project is so underfunded at the moment we aren’t hiring full time yet. Most of our workers are volunteers of various specialties. If you’d like to work with us as part of our volunteer network until we can pay full time salaries, send us your LinkedIn profile and a cover letter in the contact form.
What is your Technical Advisory Council?
The Technical Advisory Council is a formalized body of professionals and experts who we will call on to answer tough questions about the feasibility of the Lunar Elevator. We are actively reaching out to professionals in a variety of skillsets to expand and augment our Technical Advisory Council. We invite scientists, engineers, architects, artists, and every other professional skill to get involved with this project. The requirements to join our Technical Advisory Council are to hold a Masters or PhD and/or 15 years’ experience in your field of expertise.
Will the Lunar Elevator connect the Moon and the Earth?
No, the Moon and the Earth will not be connected. The Earth Elevator will be tethered to the Earth, and extend out past Geosynchronous orbit into space. The Lunar Elevator will be tethered to the surface of the Moon and extend into space towards the Earth, but still about 135,000 km away.
Will there be an Elevator on the far side of the Moon?
There will very likely be another Lunar Elevator on the far side of the Moon (in time), as it would be the most shielded place to do further radio astronomy research, which could uncover more clues about the universe. Plus imagine the view!
Can we still contribute to the Kickstarter campaign?
The Kickstarter is well and truly closed, but you can still help give us the money we need to achieve our goals by buying our merchandise on our website. Our Kickstarter robot no longer works, but we have a new Lifter robot that climbed 850 feet in June 2016 (short of our target but a promising start).
Are you using carbon nanotubes?
We are getting to the point where our technology is catching up to our imagination, so our Elevator may be built sooner than many think. So far, carbon nanotubes are the most likely material for the Earth Elevator tether. The issue with carbon nanotubes today is being able to assemble them into long, strong strands.
Because we are now focused on the Lunar Elevator (the requisite materials for which already exist), we have discontinued our research on carbon nanotubes.
Why are you building the Elevator on the Moon?
The Lunar Elevator can be built with technology available today, as opposed to some point in the future pending scientific advancements. The LSEI is key to allowing humans to utilize the Moon, which could drastically increase our footprint in space by giving the world a base for future space missions.
Your site doesn’t really contain any details on how to build the Elevator.
You are right, our site currently contains only the broad overview, and we haven’t posted any real details yet. While we do have some details, we don’t even have all the questions yet, let alone all the answers. As we begin raising money, we will be conducting research into every aspect of the Lunar Elevator. We are also writing a technical book that should be available in 2017; even with that, there will still be many unanswered questions.
How do you pay for the Elevator?
There are many possible revenue streams from this project, and we are currently pursuing several. The goal of LiftPort Group is to use a combination of revenue and outside investment to build the largest engineering project humanity has ever seen. Of course, the key is not just in the ideas, but in the execution. Much more research has to be put into the Elevator.
How will the Earth Elevator be powered?
Energy is a critical element of the Earth Elevator. We have considered several options. Ideally, we want an aircraft carrier style nuclear reactor on the LiftPort ship to power our operation. Since that is unlikely to happen, we are also considering OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion), diesel, harnessing wave energy, and floating solar grids. All of these options have significant drawbacks, which is why none of them have been fully developed.
Can you use a maglev system (like how a bullet train operates) instead of a ribbon?
While it’s true there are a lot of sci-fi stories that use maglev systems in their space elevators, maglev technology is so heavy that it is impossible to implement on our Earth Elevator as yet. The maglev track would simply crumple under its own weight. There is a Japanese company who is considering using maglev for a Space Elevator by 2050, but the Earth Elevator as designed now can’t use it. It’s possible that in the future there will be iterations that could use it.
Could you start the elevator "cord" at 120K feet to then pull the cargo to the edge of space?
This is actually is a really good idea that has been strongly studied; it’s called the High Anchor or High Station. It dramatically simplifies several elements and may even allow for a thinner, weaker cable. The same mechanics would apply, as the Earth Elevator would be connected to the High Station, and then more traditional materials could connect the High Station down to the ship at sea. There are strong arguments for and against this scenario, but as an early precursor we support it. Our friends at JP Aerospace have a project called the Dark Sky Station; tying our tethered technology to the Dark Sky station is a viable option.
Where is the Space Elevator Museum?
Tacoma, Washington. Unfortunately at the moment the display has been taken down.
Is wind a problem?
Yes, wind is a problem, but not as much as you might think. We take advantage of the Coriolis Effect by placing our ship on the equator. Here the wind diminishes and big storms like typhoons and hurricanes dissipate almost entirely due to the air currents being pulled away from the equator into the respective hemispheres. The ribbon is also flexible, so the wind will move it like a weather vane, preventing the flat side from incurring any wind damage.
Can’t you just use a valve to turn on the vacuum of space?
The vacuum valve plan doesn’t work because gravity holds the atmosphere to the Earth. The vacuum of space isn’t strong enough to pull the air molecules we breathe away into space, so it certainly isn’t strong enough to pull our robotic cars out into space.
Do you accept ideas from people not on your team?
Yes! We’ve gotten some really useful advice from unexpected sources before, so we’re always happy to chat. We once got a piece of advice from a member of the public that would save us a billion dollars in costs for the LiftPort Earth Elevator ship.
Do you fund outside projects?
We appreciate your ideas (hopefully many of them will change the world) but we can’t fund any outside projects at this time.
Will the ribbon just be a big cable?
The Earth Elevator ribbon will actually be more wide and flat so that it can better handle a micro-meteor strike. A strike to a cable/string would degrade the string much more than striking a wide surface, thus ensuring it is far less likely to break.
Do you ever hire veterans?
Of course. The military teaches many excellent skills, and it is always an honor to work alongside those who sacrificed so much for their country. Michael spent 4 years in the Marine Corps, and comes from a military family.
How do you do it?
While it is often Michael’s name and face on the screen, it is a much larger team that makes any of this possible. And we’re nothing special - it’s the project that is special. The project of the Elevator is phenomenal and makes us strive to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be.
Why don’t you give up?
Despite the hard work and many failures, the rewards vastly outweigh the hardships. The Elevator is a way to move humanity to the stars, forever changing our world, we believe, for the better. We wouldn’t have a hope of building a Space Elevator if we gave up when things didn’t go as planned. In the course of achieving anything great, everyone gets knocked down. What matters is deciding to stand up again.