Dynamics of Tethered Satellites and Space Elevators: (Aerospace Fundamentals, Applications, and Exploration)

Dynamics of Tethered Satellites and Space Elevators provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge of tethered space systems, including their potential applications, history, and a description of past and current space tether missions. This is followed by an in-depth investigation into various aspects of the dynamics and control of rigid and flexible single-tether space systems, tether propulsion, and multi-tether satellite systems. The use of tethers to remove space debris is discussed next alongside other sustainability-related considerations, making the content all the more relevant in view of the global pressures that stakeholders in the space sector currently face. An entire section of chapters on the dynamics of partial and full space elevators concludes the volume.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction Part I: Space Tethers and Tethered Satellites 2. Dynamics of Rigid Tethered Satellite Systems 3. Elastic Oscillations of Space Tethers 4. Control of Tethered Satellite Systems 5. Tethered Multi-body Systems 6. Tether Propulsion 7. Removal of Space Debris Part II: Space Elevators 8. Partial Space Elevators 9. Space Elevator Description 10. Elastic Oscillations of Space Elevator 11. Climber Effects on Space Elevator Tether 12. Conclusions

About the Author :
Arun K. Misra is the Thomas Workman Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He has made extensive research contributions in the areas of dynamics and control of tethered satellites, space debris, space robotics, space structures, and space elevators. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics as well as of the American Astronautical Society. He has been elected to the Canadian Academy of Engineering and to the International Academy of Astronautics. He has received numerous awards including the Dirk Brouwer Award from the American Astronautical Society. He is a Co-Editor of the journal Acta Astronautica published by Elsevier. Stephen Cohen obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering at McGill University. In conjunction with Prof. Misra, he authored Space Elevator – A Revolutionary Space Transportation System (Springer, 2020), the first-ever comprehensive analysis of the mechanics of space elevators, and has published numerous articles and conference papers on the topic in various journals, including Acta Astronautica. After graduating from McGill, he worked for industry designing and testing space payloads for launch and orbital environments. He became a Physics Professor at Vanier College in 2010, and began a science blog, The Engineer’s Pulse (www.engineerspulse.com) that same year. His first independently published book, Getting Physics: Nature’s Laws as a Guide to Life, was released to the market in January 2023.