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Objectives:
- is it possible?
- should we?
Areas:
- properties of carbon nanotubes
- value proposition
- practicality
All research is targeted to answer the two questions listed in my objectives
Space elevator's only challenge - cable
High requirement for the strength of material used to construct the cable
Strongest material - carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
Is CNTs strong enough?
Factors affecting strength of CNTs
Two factors:
- Value Proposition
- Does it add value commercially
- Does it reduce cost of transportation to space?
- Practicality
- Funding
- Potential challenges
- Can the challenges be solved
Answering
- is it possible?
- should we?
Further research is required to determine if it's possible to build a space elevator, but we should definitely build it
Theoretically, CNTs is strong enough
Factors that decrease the strength of CNTs - defects and residuals from synthesis process
Defects only have little effect on strength of CNTs, effect of residuals is unconfirmed
No conclusion, further research in this area
is required
Value proposition:
- Compared with space shuttle
- More cost effective
Practicality:
- Can be funded by existing organization
- Challenges identified and solutions are proposed
Conclusion:
Yes, we should.
Research Process
Based on my two objectives, I divided my research into two parts:
- technical part: to answer 'is it possible?'
- practicality part: to answer 'should we?'
Technical Part:
- components of a space elevator
- strength of CNTs
- Factors affecting strength of CNTs
Practicality Part:
- Costs of space elevator v.s. space shuttle
- fundings for space elevator
- potential challenges during construction and solutions
Research is conducted first, then essay is written
research research
technical practicality write
part part essay
1/12/2019~ 27/5/2020~ 26/6/2020~
26/5/2020 25/6/2020 18/8/2020
Time allocated for:
Research on technical part: ~6 months
- it is the majority of my essay
- it is difficult to understand
- it is difficult to find experimental evidence
Research on practicality part: ~1 month
- it is the smaller portion of the essay
- it is relatively easier to understand
- information easier to obtain
Essay writing: ~2 months
- no research required
- all information available
- crystallize information into a 5000 word essay
Technical Part:
Which research paper(s) to use as reference(s)?
Practicality Part:
What is considered 'practical'?
Different research papers have different claims, the research papers I used as references are based on:
- the research bodies who published them
(research from universities or research organization like NASA is preferred)
- if the theories stated is widely accepted
In order to deem a construction to be practical, I look at fundamental requirements for a construction project:
- can it be funded?
- is it too challenging to build?
There are two major problems I encountered throughout my research process:
Problem:
Getting confused by the technical terms used in research papers
Solution:
Obtain some background knowledge in a particular area before looking at research papers about it. This way, I will have some knowledge beforehand so I will understand when technical terms and concepts are used.
Problem:
Getting distracted and diverted away from my topic title while doing research
Solution:
Always get back to my two objectives before doing any research. This ensures that all my research constributes to my topic title.
What I did good and areas to improve on
- Research process
- Seperation of my research into two parts gives me a clear direction
- Correct to spend more time on technical part as it turns out to be harder than the practicality part
- Resources
- I found sufficient resources to back up my claims
Time management skills:
How to plan ahead and how to allocate time for different parts of my project
Discipline:
Keep track with my timeline, hitting deadlines I set for myself
Self-motivating:
Keep myself motivated throughout the year so I will not lose interest and stop my progress
- Essay writing
- could spend more time to improve the language of my essay
- Concentration span
- could increase my concentration span while researching so I don't get easily distracted or diverted away from my research objective