Elevator:2010

File:Space elevator structural diagram--corrected for scale+CM+etc.svg.]]

On March 23, 2005 NASA's Centennial Challenges program announced a partnership with the Spaceward Foundation regarding Elevator:2010, to raise the amounts of monetary prizes and to get more teams involved in the competitions.{{cite web|title=NASA Announces First Centennial Challenges' Prizes|url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/mar/HQ_m05083_Centennial_prizes.html|work=NASA|date=March 23, 2005|accessdate=2008-02-12|archive-date=2005-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050608083813/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/mar/HQ_m05083_Centennial_prizes.html|url-status=dead}} The partnership was not renewed after its initial 5-year term.{{cite web|title=NASA, the Space Elevator Challenges and the Kansas City Space Pirates| date=24 September 2012 |url=http://www.spaceelevatorblog.com/?p=1544 |publisher=www.spaceelevatorblog|accessdate=2013-08-25}}

There were two (out of an intended seven) competitions of the NASA Centennial Challenges which fell under the Elevator:2010 banner: The Tether Challenge and the Beam Power Challenge. There were also the two original competitions.

This competition presented the challenge of constructing super-strong tethers, a crucial component of a space elevator.{{cite web |title=Welcome to Elevator:2010's annual climber competition |url=http://www.spaceward.org/elevator2010-ts |work=Spaceward |accessdate=2008-02-12 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201135351/http://spaceward.org/elevator2010-ts |archivedate=2008-02-01 }} The 2005 contest was to award US$50,000 to the team which constructed the strongest tether, with contests in future years requiring that each winner outperform that of the previous year by 50%. No competing tether surpassed the commercial off-the-shelf baseline and the prize was increased to $200,000 in 2006.

Of the four teams competing, three were disqualified for not following length rules—one of these cases by a fraction of a millimeter. Ultimately, the 'House Tether' won against the remaining team. The 'House Tether' is composed of Zylon fiber and M77 adhesive.{{Cite web |url=http://www.spaceward.org/elevator-when |title=How close is the Space Elevator? How expensive will it be?- Data Point References |access-date=2014-04-19 |archive-date=2013-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601202219/http://www.spaceward.org/elevator-when |url-status=dead }} It was stronger than the machine used to test the tether itself: it began to fail at {{convert|1600|lbf|N}}, forcing the test to be called off.{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}}

The Beam Power Challenge was a competition to build a wirelessly-powered ribbon-climbing robot. The contest involves having the robot raise a specified payload to a specific height within a limited period of time. The first competition in 2005 would have awarded {{currency|50,000|US}}, US$20,000, and US$10,000 to the three best-performing teams meeting the minimum benchmark of {{convert|1|m/s}}. However no team met the minimum standard in 2005.

In 2006 the prize for first place increased to $150,000 with the goal of climbing 50 meters in under 1 minute. It was held October 20–21, 2006 at the Las Cruces International Airport at the Wirefly X PRIZE Cup. 13 teams entered the competition. Only one team, University of Saskatchewan, was able to climb the tether in under 1 minute, reaching the top in {{nowrap|58 s}}.{{citation needed|date=March 2011}}

The Challenge had $500,000 in prize money for the 2007 competition.{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}}

At the 2009 Challenge, on November 6, 2009, LaserMotive successfully used lasers to drive a {{convert|abbr=on|4.8|kg|lb}} device up a {{convert|abbr=on|900|m|ft|-1}} cable suspended from a helicopter.{{cite web | url=http://www.spaceelevatorgames.org/second-day-results/ | title=Second Day Results | accessdate=2009-11-07 | date=2009-11-05 | work=Space Elevator Games | publisher=The Spaceward Foundation }} Energy is transmitted to the climber using a high-power infrared beam.{{cite web | url=http://www.lasermotive.com/blog/ | title=Main | accessdate=2009-11-07 | work=Blog | publisher=LaserMotive | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018103923/http://www.lasermotive.com/blog/ | archivedate=2009-10-18 }} LaserMotive's entry, which was the only climber to top the cable, reached an average speed of {{convert|13|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} and earned a $900,000 prize. This marked both a performance record, and the first award of a cash prize at the Challenge.{{cite news | url=http://www.space.com/news/091106-space-elevator-games-results.html | title=Seattle Team Wins $900,000 in Space Elevator Contest | accessdate=2009-11-07 | author=Moskowitz, Clara | date=2009-11-06 | publisher=Space.com }}

LaserMotive won the {{currency|900000|US}} prize for the Level 1 power beaming prize in 2009 with the achievement of {{convert|2|m/s}} climber speed over a sub-kilometer climb. The Level 2 power beaming prize, for a {{convert|5|m/s}} climb, remains available for future competitions.

After LaserMotive claimed the {{currency|900000|US}} prize for the Level 1 power beaming prize in 2009, the Space Elevator games being conducted by Elevator:2010 planned to offer a prize purse for future competitions of {{currency|4000000|US}}, for both the Power Beaming (Climber) Competition and the Tether Strength Competition.

{{cite web

|title=Elevator:2010 - the Space Elevator Challenge

|url=http://www.spaceward.org/elevator2010

|publisher=spaceward.org

|accessdate=2011-03-14

|quote=The level 1 (2 m/s) challenge was met by team LaserMotive from Seattle, who took home $900,000. The level 2 (5 m/s) challenge remains unclaimed. ...prize money is provided by NASA's Centennial Challenges program—a total of $4,000,000 over the next 5 years

|url-status=dead

|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118153108/http://www.spaceward.org/elevator2010

|archivedate=2010-01-18

}}

The Japan Space Elevator Association conducted climbing competitions{{cite web | url=http://www.jsea.jp/technology/challenge/000405.html | title=Main | accessdate=2013-08-24 | work=Blog | publisher=JSEA | language=japanese | archive-date=2014-10-17 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017063602/http://www.jsea.jp/technology/challenge/000405.html | url-status=dead }} in August 2013.

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• Tether propulsion

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• {{official website|http://www.spaceelevatorblog.com/}}
• [http://www.spaceward.org/ The Spaceward Foundation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918222325/http://www.spaceward.org/ |date=2012-09-18 }}

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Category:Space elevator

Category:Challenge awards

Category:Awards established in 2005