The International Space Elevator Consortium has created this position paper as a recognition that the space debris problem is an engineering one and can be mitigate. The question: "Will space debris be a show stopper for space elevators?" is answered emphatically - NO! The mitigation concepts presented change the issue from a perceived problem to an engineering concern; but, by no means is it a significant threat. This pamphlet illustrates how the development office for a future space elevator can attack this problem, predict probabilities of collision, and convert the concern into another manageable engineering problem.

This study was designed to take the concept of Space Elevators and answer some questions relative to space debris. The team built upon the 2010 study on the topic and addressed many other issues to include: - The probabilities of orbital conjunctions between a space elevator and debris in Low Earth Orbit, Geo Earth Orbit, and Medium Earth Orbit. - The growth rate of space debris as it threatens operational space elevator (2010, 2019, 2030)? - Mitigation of risk for the space community through design, policies, operations, and lowering the threat. This year's study topic focused upon calculations for potential conjunction probabilities from densities of debris for 2010, 2019, and 2030. ""Space debris mitigation is an engineering problem with definable quantities such as density of debris and lengths/widths of targets. With proper knowledge and good operational procedures, the threat of space debris is not a show-stopper. However, mitigation approaches must be accepted and implemented robustly.""

In the last year, the International Space Elevator Consortium assessed that basic technological needs can be met with current capabilities: and, each segment of the Space Elevator Transportation System is ready for engineering validation. Because of the availability of a new material as a potential Space Elevator tether, the community strongly believes that a Space Elevator will be initiated in the near term. Included in the book is a series of appendices that are tremendous references to the status of the space elevator today. Included are a lexicon of space elevator terms, over 750 references in the bibliography, short descriptions of eight ISEC year-long studies and two IAA 4-year studies on space elevators, as well as a summary of over 20 Architectural Notes covering the development of space elevator technologies.

While the development of Space Elevator tethers and climbers is a daunting task, their operation will leverage 50 years of satellite operations. This leads to the conclusion: Operations for a Space Elevator Have NO Showstoppers Have Reasonable Costs Meet the Challenges 

Under the editorship of David Raitt, this timely book brings together for the first time the record of people, places, developments and activities, in fiction and in fact, of the space elevator - a 100,000 km long, meter wide, ribbon reaching up from the Earth and into space along which robotic climbers that will travel to bring payloads into orbit at a fraction of the price of rocket launches. The chapters in the book cover the early pioneers who dreamt up the concept initially some 120 years ago; the work of modern day scientists and engineers who have developed the concept into doable plans; how the concept has been portrayed in novels, films and art; the conferences at which interested people could present and discuss their work and ideas; the global community that has grown up around space elevators and the competition challenges that have been held; and what the future may hold.

The International Space Elevator Consortium 2017 study report recommends the development of a software simulator for the design, construction and operational phases of a space elevator. This report summarizes the use cases, requirements, design elements and concept of operations for such a simulator.

The future evolution of the debris environment will be forecast on the basis of traffic models and possible hazard mitigation practices. The text shows how large trackable objects will have re-entry pinpointed and predictions made on related risk assessment for possible ground impact. Models will also be described for meteoroids which are also a prevailing risk.