Students develop climber:
An elevator into space
"The elevator is to be designed in such a way that it’s fast, simple and energy-efficient." says Herbert Weidinger, project manager and student in the 5th term of his Bachelor’s degree course. The motors are the same as the ones used for scale modeling and the elevator cars, the so-called “climbers”, are being custom made on the premises. The electronic devices are also being designed by students.
So far, the mechanical engineers have focused mainly on constructing the elevator. "But another important aspect is finding the optimum energy transmission solution – for example, when it comes to transferring energy in space by means of laser technology."
Space elevators are more cost-efficient
It is still very expensive to haul objects into space, with costs in the region of 20,000 Euros per kilogram. A space elevator would be much cheaper. Student teams from all over the world are working on ideas and competitions are being held, especially in Japan and the US. This year, TUM students managed to bring the contest to Garching for the second time. The European Space Elevator Challenge (EUSPEC) took place on Open Day in October. Climbers were sent up into the air on ropes of 50 meters length. .
Wanted: Electrical Engineers
WARR stands for “Wissenschaftliche Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Raketentechnik und Raumfahrt“ – the Scientific Workgroup for Rocketry and Space Flight. The climber team currently consists of 20 students, only mechanical engineers so far, so they are looking for electrical engineers who would like to join in. They describe their big goal for 2013 as follows: "In summer, we would like to take part in the climber contest in Japan," says Weidinger – and try to bring another European contest to the TUM.