As we build it – they will come! Space Elevators as Permanent Transportation Infrastructure

“If we build it – they will come!”??This phrase has driven inventions and developments from the beginning of time.??The building of the US transcontinental railroad was such a venture as the movement of commercial product from East to West and West to East was projected to be vary valuable.????These types of statements are commercially powerful when a projected technology is going to transform the “way of doing business.”??These transformational leaps have enabled remarkable capabilities in communications, transportation, sports, business, and/or leisure.??One ongoing transformation is electric cars with a significant lowering of environmental impacts from driving.??Space Elevator electric tether climbers can be seen as one of these environmental game changers – no burning of rocket fuels inside our atmosphere or leaving of space debris in LEO.??

In an earlier paper, Barry and Alfaro discussed the envisioning of Space Elevator financial outlook as following:??“With the current global trends favoring a burgeoning space economy, it is even more crucial than ever to develop a long-term sustainable economic overview for Space Elevators to accelerate the development of this megaproject. This paper analyzes the economics of Space Elevators as infrastructure…, utilizing relevant historical examples, such as the standardization of shipping containers, the transcontinental railroad, and the Panama Canal to explore its economic value and developmental impact. Infrastructure, at its core, provides value through the reduction of transaction costs…. expanding the picture to view the impact on the economy from increased access to value and more efficient markets through lower transaction costs and infrastructure becomes a very lucrative, stable, and reliable investment. Cost per kilogram is the language of rockets -- strategic investment, ubiquitous access, and uninterrupted exchange of resources are the staples of Space Elevators….. The focus of this paper is on establishing the value of a Space Elevator as part of a larger economic ecosystem and using that foundation as grounds for acquiring the financial leverage that will be required to construct it.” [Barry, K. E.P. Alfaro, “Changing the Economic Paradigm for Building a Space Elevator,” paper presented at 72nd?International Astronautical Congress in Dubai, 25-29 Oct 2021.]?

So, why will they come to support Space?Elevators???The answers is straightforward – profit! In addition:??a) such commercial investments will lead to new industries, b) environment saving liftoffs, c) stopping (slowing down) global warming, d) enabling massive power distribution across the globe, and e) enabling robust movement off planet inexpensively and with green operations.??This commercially driven permanent transportation infrastructure will create a “bridge to space” – and who doesn’t want a bridge after struggling to beat the gravity well for every launch over the last 60+ years.???

Space Elevators’ remarkable transformation capabilities as a permanent space access infrastructure dwarfs traditional space access approaches.??As a baseline, this transportation infrastructure provides to the user:??a: Permanent, daily, and routine, b: Massive movement, c: Safe, d: inexpensive, e: environmentally friendly, f: storage facility at train stations (at GEO and Apex Anchor), g: assembly and repair areas (above the massive gravity of Earth at GEO and Apex Anchor), and h: rapid transit [in our case to Moon (14 hrs)/Mars (fast as 61 days)].??These characteristics will enable:

·??????Massive daily liftoffs to GEO, the Moon and Mars.??- transportation

·??????Enabling global inexpensive electric power to anyplace with environmentally friendly operations.??Power infrastructure & Global climate improvement – Space Solar Power

·??????Lower the Earth’s temperature by 1.5 degrees. Global Climate - Sunshades

·??????Depart for anywhere, any day, with massive science payloads –???Planetary Science

The establishment of settlements off planet, the creation of a global power supply constellation, the blocking of the sun’s rays, and other advanced concepts, will require massive movement of equipment/supplies, habitats, propulsion modules, energy sources, and people to the top of our gravity well and beyond.??Humanity has beaten the gravity well at the basic level with chemical rockets; however, to supply massive support infrastructure to GEO and beyond, a permanent transportation infrastructure must be built.??This commercial imperative circles back to the initial words of this introduction:??“As we build it – they will come!”??If we are to satisfy our critical future needs of just Space Solar Power and movement to Mars, a commercially successful?transportation approach must be initiated along the way.??As Alfaro and Barry have stated:??The Industry must “develop a long-term sustainable economic overview for Space Elevators to accelerate the development of this megaproject.”[Barry Alfaro]??As this is realized, the bridge builders will come with investors supporting the development of the transformational permanent space access transportation infrastructure.?

As we build it, they will come!

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Note:??this phrase (close to it) originated in the bible, but has been recently dominated by the movie “Field of Dreams.”??Many business texts have claimed that this approach can lead to failure; however, if you approach it with the correct set of questions, the image created is powerful.????The Benefit Capital website has established some questions the space elevator community must ask in the near term to ensure the phrase reflects the future: [https://benefit.capital/the-delusional-entrepreneur-if-i-build-it-they-will-come/ ]

• “Have you packaged up your product or service in a way that the market actually wants it?
• Does the market see your product/service as valuable?
• Are they willing to pay for it?
• Are you trying to solve a problem people don’t even want solved?
• Do you know how to take the creative or inventive essence of your idea and effectively connect it to a market need?
• Are you too in love with your product/service?”