Yuri Nikolaevich Artsutanov (russian: Ю́рий Никола́евич Арцута́нов; 5 October 1929 – 1 January 2019) was a Russian

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

born in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. He was one of the pioneers of the idea of a

space elevator A space elevator, also referred to as a space bridge, star ladder, and orbital lift, is a proposed type of planet-to-space transportation system, often depicted in science fiction. The main component would be a cable (also called a tether) anc ...

. The February issue of the ISEC Newsletter is devoted to his life and place in history and features reminisces and photographs from his colleagues in the West, including his attendance at the 2010 ISEC Space Elevator conference.

Biography

Artsutanov was a graduate of

Leningrad Technological Institute Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology (Technical University) (russian: Санкт-Петербургский Технологический Институт (Технический Университет)) was founded in 1828. It is o ...

. In 1960, he wrote an article "V Kosmos na Electrovoze (en. ''Into space with the help of an electric locomotive'')", where he discussed the concept of the space elevator as an economic, safe and convenient way to access

orbit In celestial mechanics, an orbit is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an object or position in space such as a p ...

and facilitate

space exploration Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. While the exploration of space is carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration though is conducted both by robotic spacec ...

. Artsutanov developed his idea independently from Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who in 1895 proposed an idea of building an ''orbital tower''. Artsutanov's concept was based on the linking of geosynchronous satellites to the ground with a cable. He suggested using the

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...

as the base from which to construct the tower since a geosynchronous satellite will remain over a fixed point on the equator. By using a

counterweight A counterweight is a weight that, by applying an opposite force, provides balance and stability of a mechanical system. The purpose of a counterweight is to make lifting the load faster and more efficient, which saves energy and causes less wear ...

, a cable would be lowered from the

geosynchronous orbit A geosynchronous orbit (sometimes abbreviated GSO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an orbital period that matches Earth's rotation on its axis, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds (one sidereal day). The synchronization of rotation and orbital ...

to the surface of

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

while the counterweight was extended from the satellite away from Earth, keeping the center of mass of the cable at the same height above the Earth. The ideas of Tsiolkovsky's compression-structure concept and Artsutanov's tension-structure concept differ in that a compression structure is well outside conceivable future capabilities, while the tension-structure is much easier to build and maintain, and is considered possible with near-future technologies. Artsutanov later went on to propose other concepts involving

space tether Space tethers are long cables which can be used for propulsion, momentum exchange, stabilization and attitude control, or maintaining the relative positions of the components of a large dispersed satellite/spacecraft sensor system. Depending on t ...

s, including the lunar space elevator, and using rotating tethers for space transportation.J. Pearson
Space Elevator History

References

Sources

* Artsutanov, Yuri; ''V Kosmos na Electrovoze'';

Komsomolskaya Pravda ''Komsomolskaya Pravda'' (russian: link=no, Комсомольская правда; lit. "Komsomol Truth") is a daily Russian tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper, founded on 13 March 1925. History and profile During the Soviet era, ...

, July 31, 1960 *English translation and recreation of original 1960 Russian article: http://images.spaceref.com/docs/spaceelevator/Artsutanov_Pravda_SE.pdf

External links

Spaceward.org Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Artsutanov, Yuri 1929 births 2019 deaths Russian aerospace engineers Engineers from Saint Petersburg Soviet engineers 20th-century Russian engineers Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology alumni

Biography

See also

References

Sources

External links