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The official newsletter of the International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC)
Our mission statement:
"...ISEC promotes the development, construction and operation of a space elevator as a revolutionary and efficient way to space for all humanity..." |
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| ISEC e-Newsletter | www.isec.org
| March 2014
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Dear Friend,
Welcome to the March, 2014 edition of the ISEC eNewsletter.
In this issue's President's Corner, ISEC President Dr. Peter Swan reveals that ISEC is going to be a supporter of the annual NSS/ISDC Conference to be held in May of this year. NSS and ISEC are partners and this should be a great conference - plan on attending!
Also in this issue, you can find information about the upcoming ISEC 2014 Space Elevator Conference (registration is NOW OPEN) and the recently created ISEC Research Committee. Finally, you can also see the Final call for papers for Volume 3 of CLIMB, the Space Elevator Journal.
And don't forget to LIKE US on Facebook, FOLLOW US on Twitter and enjoy the photos and videos that we've posted on Flickr and YouTube - all under our Social Identity of ISECdotORG.
Thank you!
ISEC
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 The President's Corner ISEC has just committed to support the NSS International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles from May 15-19, 2014. We will provide an exhibit and contribute to discussions throughout the many sessions. The complimentary missions between ISEC and its affiliate are remarkable. The National Space Society's vision is: " People living and working in thriving communities beyond the Earth, and the use of the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity." while the ISEC vision is definitely supporting: " A world with inexpensive, safe, routine, and efficient access to space for the benefit of all mankind." Please feel free to come to the conference and stop by the exhibit or initiate discussions on the space elevator during any of the sessions. "Keep Climbing my Friends!" Pete Swan |
 Registration now open for the 2014 ISEC Space Elevator Conference ISEC is very pleased to announce that Registration is now OPEN for the 2014 ISEC Space Elevator Conference. The Conference will be held from Friday, August 22nd, 2014 through Sunday, August 24th. The Venue will the same place we've had the conference the past two years, Seattle's Museum of Flight. This has turned out to be a wonderful venue for the Conference and we are thrilled to be able to host the Conference here again. Presentation Abstracts are now being submitted (if you wish to submit an Abstract to be considered for presentation, visit this page to learn how)., workshops are being planned and ISEC will have a special announcement regarding the Space Elevator Conference in the very near future - watch this space! Mark you calendars now - be there or be square! |
 The ISEC Research Committee ISEC's Research Committee has been working on the question: what will it take to make a space elevator a reality? ISEC and related organizations in Europe and Japan have generated interest and have advanced the state of the art through competitions, conferences and publications. ISEC has provided a vehicle to publish research by academics, graduate students and individuals working independently. The recent study Space Elevators: An Assessment of the Technological Feasibility and the Way Forward (see picture of cover) has defined a new standard, based on the latest research, and the Research Committee wants to use it to promote consistency among projects that people will undertake around the world. We also want to encourage new entrants to the field. Beyond that, there are some tasks that need a larger effort involving professional teams of experts. The highest priorities are to obtain a tether material that is strong enough and to design full-scale tether climbers. Also very important is how best to cope with the Earth's turbulent atmosphere. Such work requires substantial amounts of money. We have quantified how much is needed to make a real difference, and we are focused on ways of raising it. The latest information about the ISEC Research Committee can be found on the ISEC website. If you are interested in contributing to future research inside the space elevator architecture, please send your CV/bio to: john.knapman [at] isec.org. |
 CLIMB Volume 3 - Final Call for Papers
The window is now open for authors interested in submitting papers for Volume 3 of CLIMB, the only Journal devoted solely to the Space Elevator. Abstracts may be submitted between now and March 31st, 2014 to [email protected]. ISEC is interested in publishing both technical papers, subject to peer-review along with " Additional reading" papers; documents that might be of interest to a reader interested in the Space Elevator. Volume 1 of CLIMB was dedicated to Yuri Artsutanov, the Russian engineer who was the original inventor of the Space Elevator structure that is the model today, while Volume 2 of CLIMB was dedicated to Jerome Pearson, the American engineer who independently invented this concept and put into place much of the scientific and mathematical underpinnings for this tensile-based structure. Volume 3 of CLIMB will be dedicated to Sir Arthur C. Clarke, the person who more than anyone else has popularized this concept. Volumes 1 and 2 of CLIMB were well-received and may be purchased at the ISEC store. CLIMB is also a benefit for ISEC members; members at the Professional level and above receive both the print and electronic versions of CLIMB while student members receive the electronic versions of CLIMB as part of their membership benefits. Information about how to format the Abstract can be found at the ISEC website, along with the Paper template and a publication schedule. |
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 ISEC and NSS join hands... The National Space Society and the International Space Elevator Consortium signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 15 August 2013. This understanding between these 501(c)(3) organizations illustrates the strength of ideas and committed volunteers. Recently the NSS released a "Milestones to Space Settlement," or a roadmap to the future. The presented vision is: The National Space Society ("NSS") is a nonprofit educational organization whose Vision is: "People living and working in thriving communities beyond the Earth and the use of the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity."
This Vision embraces both space as a future second home for humanity and the resources of space (such as the Sun's energy for space-based solar power, extra-terrestrial minerals for raw materials, and low-gravity for manufacturing) being used for the benefit of all of us on the Earth. These two elements of the Vision are intertwined: development of space products and services for the people of Earth will both require human presence in space and will enable and motivate expansion of our species away from the home planet.
The partnership of two visionary organizations should strengthen each other's activities. As the ISEC has a similar mission, the two organizations should have many common projects and ideas. "... ISEC promotes the development, construction and operation of a space elevator as a revolutionary and efficient way to space for all humanity ..."Due to their shared interest, as shown by their mission statements and vision, the two organizations, working together, should be able to contribute even more to the widespread economic development of space and the betterment of mankind. |
What is ISEC?
 The International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC) is the result of a coming-together of many leading figures and organizations who have worked long and hard over many years to promote the concept of a Space Elevator. With organizational members in the United States, Europe and Japan and individual members from around the world, ISEC's goal is nothing less than to get a Space Elevator built. Our Mission Statement says it all: "ISEC promotes the development, construction and operation of a space elevator as a revolutionary and efficient way to space for all humanity"Each year we adopt a theme which we use to focus our activities for that year. For 2009-2010, our theme was Space Debris Mitigation - Space Elevator Survivability. For 2010-2011 our theme was Research and thought targeted towards the goal of a 30 MYuri tether. For 2011-2012, our theme was Operating and Maintaining a Space Elevator. For 2012-2013, our theme was Tether Climbers and for 2013-2014, our theme is Architecture & Roadmaps. If you agree that building a Space Elevator should be a priority for all of us and you want to help make this happen, please Join Us ! Benefits include eNewsletters (such as this one), the ISEC Journal CLIMB and other items listed on our Join page. Come and join us and help make the future happen! The International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC) is a registered 501c3 charitable organization (EIN 80-0302896)
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Thank you, Corporate Sponsors !
The lifeblood of any organization such as ours is the support we receive from our members - and we thank them all. We especially want to thank our Corporate Sponsors who have contributed funds and resources to ISEC at a higher level. |
| Visit ISEC on the Web
Visit our website at www.isec.org. There you can join learn more about what is happening in the Space Elevator community and what is being done to advance the concept of a Space Elevator. Please consider joining ISEC - we foster research and sponsor Space Elevator-related causes, but to do so takes money. Your contributions are crucial to our success. Thank you! If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, you can also sign up to be on our mailing list so you don't miss a thing! |
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