Space elevator concept will take the Lift & Escalator Symposium to the next level

An elevator into space will be the subject of the keynote paper to be presented at the annual 9th Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technologies.

The symposium is organised by The Lift and Escalator Symposium Educational Trust, a charity which involves the University of Northampton, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and The Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA)

Dr Bryan Laubscher of The International Space Elevator Consortium will outline the concept at the Symposium, which will be held on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 September 2018.

In his public lecture, on Tuesday 18 September (before the Symposium event), he will explain the technology behind a tether system anchored on Earth, with capsules to transport humans and cargo into space.

Professor Stefan Kaczmarczyk, from the University, co-chair of the Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technologies, said: “ The Space Elevator is an alternative Vertical Transportation System to access Space without the use of the rocket-based space technology. The concept was first presented in the end of 19th century by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. But the materials technology limitations to construct light-weight tethers was a constraint to take the development of the concept further. Since then new composite materials, such as carbon nanotubes, have been invented and the Space Elevator is becoming a real possibility. Dr Laubscher will discuss the details of this complex and exciting engineering project. ”

Dr Richard Peters of Peters Research Ltd, co-chair of the Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technologies said: “We are delighted to welcome Dr Laubscher to our 9th Symposium and are looking forward to learning more about innovations arising from research in Space Elevators.”

More details about the Symposium event, can be found on the conference webpages.