Space Elevator

ARTICLE IN PRESS

Progress in Aerospace Sciences 44 (2008) 1–21

www.elsevier.com/locate/paerosci

A review of space tether research

M.P. CartmellÃ, D.J. McKenzie

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Glasgow, James Watt Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK

Available online 7 November 2007

Abstract

The review paper attempts to provide a useful contextualised source of references for the student interested in learning about space tethers,

and their potential for propulsion of payloads in Space. The two principal categories of momentum exchange and electrodynamic tethers are

discussed, with the principal aim of establishing useful sources of fundamental theory in the literature, as well as highlighting important

technology and mission development papers. The large-scale international effort that continues to be made in the area of space tether research

is evident, with major literature contributions from the world-wide scientific and technical community. The overarching theme of the paper is

to show the richness and diversity of tether modelling that has been undertaken in recent times, and to emphasise, by means of many different

examples, that dynamics and control are the two fundamentally important aspects of all tether concepts, designs, and mission architectures.

r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contents

1.

2.

3.

4.

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Momentum exchange tethers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2.1. Summary of operating principles and relevant orbital mechanics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2.2. Tether missions, constraints, and failure modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....