by What if I tell you that there is a better and less fancy technique than Space Elevators to revolutionize space travel. Yeah! There is a more efficient and easier way to do rocket launches, and it could have the potential to make exploration outside our solar system possible. We could even explore the inner solar system and start our asteroid mining if this technology is used. It is a simple technique of catapulting the spacecraft using a tether (a rope connecting the spacecraft and the counterweight at the opposite ends). So how this works? Is that science fiction or is that possible in the future?
What are Skyhooks?
The Skyhooks is the technology that could potentially revolutionize space travel and it is a more realistic idea than the Space Elevators. This uses the momentum of the tether to catapult the spacecraft and it stays in our upper atmosphere. We won't be needing an enormous infrastructure, unlike Space Elevators. It could cut the cost of our space travel because we won't be needing a lot of fuel if this infrastructure is set up in space. The biggest disadvantages of traditional rockets are that they need more fuel and thus only a limited cargo can be transported once. Even the rockets are not reusable, so rocket launches are expensive and skyhooks could transform our future of space travel.
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| The Tether hanging from a satellite |
This space infrastructure could be our chance to initiate interplanetary travel and it could make it not only easier but also cheaper. It doesn't even require huge investments and we already have the resources to implement this technology. It has also been tested in space, although on a small scale. We have to put a tether (a high-tensile cable with a counterweight) which will stretch out to space. It could take the spacecraft to a higher altitude and make it move at a blistering pace by allowing its momentum to go to the spacecraft. The tether could be made of Zylon which can withstand the high strain and enormous radiation, and it could be protected by the fibres around them from the space debris.
How does Skyhooks work?
The working of Skyhooks is not rocket science, but it will require precise calculation and more engineering. The Skyhooks could be more efficient if it is made to rotate adding more momentum to its tether which could help catapult the spacecraft swiftly. The lower end of the tether should be swinging around 12,000 km/hr (7456 miles/hr) and it will be swinging at a high altitude because the tether might burn down when it comes to lower altitudes (less than 150 kilometres) due to the friction created by the Earth's atmosphere. There is going to be very little time as things will happen at supersonic speeds.
Specialized spacecrafts have to be made that can hold on to the swinging tether or we could also use some navigational drones to make the connection between the tether and the spacecraft possible every time, eliminating the possible errors. Attaching the spacecrafts to the swinging tether could also be made possible by using some sort of electromagnets that could attract the spacecraft and a lot of fuel could be saved.
So what happens when the momentum of the tether decreases? When the swinging of the skyhooks slows down, it could go out of its orbit and crash into the earth, which could end disastrously. But this danger could be averted if we use physics the proper way. The momentum lost during catapulting the spacecrafts out to other planets or space could be restored if we use the same technique to catapult the cargo coming to Earth. We could also try to maintain the angular momentum of the Skyhook by installing chemical thrusters on the counterweight. We already have the technology and resources to make it possible, but precise engineering work has to be done to make it a reality.
The Future of Skyhooks
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The Traditional inefficient rocket launches |
