Alexander Mayboroda

Alexander Olegovitch Mayboroda () (born May 1, 1957) is the Soviet/Russian author and developer of some inventions in modern astronautics, "Post-Rocket Transport Systems for Space Travel".
His main inventions are known at the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks as “Method for delivering cargoes into space and a system for implementation of same” and “Method and system for feeding jet engines”.

Both inventions are aimed to cut down prices in the sphere of space transportation services allowing us to use the “natural space resources” at an extremely low cost, thus resolving a number of serious global issues including the energy and the ecology crisis about which there has been a lot of "noise" raised by various personalities such as Robert Zubrin and others.
Early life and education
Mayboroda was born in Rostov-on-Don, also known as "South Capital Of Russia" during a difficult for the Soviets period called "the Space Race" in the year of 1957 which was famous for the world's first artificial satellite launch by the USSR. In his childhood, always engaged in reading science fiction books, Alexander Olegovitch showed his particular interest in cosmos. However, at that time he could hardly imagine that the cosmic theme would be a sort of red thread that would run through all his life.
In 1975 he was enrolled at the Rostov State University (the former Warsaw Imperial University in Poland) at the Faculty of Philosophy where, as he says, his passion for space was confirmed. While studying Alexander’s main focus was on a range of subjects close to astronautics such as higher mathematics, theory of relativity (special and general), quantum mechanics, systems theory and cybernetics, evolution theory and biology, the theories of space industrialization and space colonization etc. It was during his final days at University that Mayboroda realized the full depth of his desire to dedicate the whole life to cosmic investigations. In 1979 greatly touched by the success of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky he decided to take part in "Readings named after K.E. Tsiolkovsky" held annually in Kaluga, the pioneer’s of astronautic theory birth-town. Participating in these conferences on a regular basis his main topic has remained the same which is "The problems of space industrialization and the Earth industry cosmization". It is interesting to note that around that time by the irony of fate Alexander found out that his grandfather, Maiboroda Vladimir Dmitrievitch was actually the first chief engineer at the famous Yuzhmash which was the largest soviet manufacturer of space rockets, agricultural equipment, buses, trams, wind turbines and satellites. For Alexander it was another sign of his destiny.
After graduation he spent about six years lecturing at various Universities (Rostov State Medical University (1983-1984), Rostov State University for Railway Transportation (1984-1986), Novocherkassk Polytechnical Institute (1986-1989)).
At the age of 29, he became the head of the section called "Without-rocket space shipment systems within the USSR Astronautics Federation in association with which in 1988 he organized the first scientific-technical Conference “Non-Rocket Industrialization of Space: Problems, Ideas, Projects” that attracted around 500 scientists from various backgrounds. In the same year Alexander received an order from the USSR Goskino (State Cinema Establishment) to shoot a 30-minute popular science film about the program of without-rocket space industrialization as well as its author. The film was entitled “To Heaven on a Wheel” and was successfully broadcast in almost every Soviet cinema and abroad.
Mayboroda has been awarded a state grant twice: in 1988, awarded by the Soviet Fund of Peace for the purpose of financing a group of projects, i.e. “Microgravitron”; and in 1989, awarded by the Federal Ministry of Education of the RSFSR for the purpose of sponsoring a number of research works on the author’s project “Microgravitron”. The total amount of money received from the government was 250 000 rubles (US$ 335 000)
Having been recommended by the USA Planetary Society’s co-founder, Louis Friedman, Alexander Olegovitch was accepted into the Society as its permanent member (1990).
For a few years (1989-1992) Mayboroda performed the duties of the director of Rostov Regional Centre of scientific-technical services “Microgravitatcia” within the Union of Scientific and Engineering Societies of the USSR (USSR SNIO). Around 500 employees worked under his direction. Within this period he was also responsible for the State Program entitled “High-speed Surface Transport on Magnetic Suspension with Linear Electric Drive”.
Since spring 1992, Mayboroda has been the chief management partner of a group of companies in the sphere of consulting. However, in spite of his business activity he has never lost his passion for science which is proved by his two recent inventions regarding one of the main problems in modern astronautics - “Low cost space access” - approved by the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks in autumn, 2010.
First invention
Mayboroda has always been interested in how to solve the problem of "Low Cost Space Access". He has always been preoccupied according to his own words, thinking in the following way:"...the more profitable cosmic space becomes for investments the more attention grows to raising geocosmic transport efficiency. However, a rocket is a transport means with very low efficiency characteristics...".
Alexander’s first invention was and is based on the works of S. Demetriades and E. Marwick. In short, Demetriades proposed method of atmospheric gases accumulation by means of low-orbit satellite. Moving around the orbit Demetriades' satellite takes discharged air from the boarder of dense layers of atmosphere, compresses it by means of gas- dynamic compression in diffuser and compressors, cools it off and extracts liquid oxygen. The remaining nitrogen is used in nuclear electrorocket engine for compensation of losses caused by aerodynamic resistance.
Marwick has solved the second part of the problem to deliver rocket fuel to orbital fuel depositories: he proposed the way of delivery from earth to orbit of any kinds of substances necessary for both production of rocket fuel (like hydrogen), as well as for reaching purposes of space industrialization (like aluminium and silicon for production of mirrors and solar batteries for orbital electric power stations).
Despite everything both projects have remained unimplemented. The project of Demetriades famous as PROFAC Project is based on application of powerful energy source on board an accumulating space device (ASD). Demetriades proposed to use nuclear reactor as such a source of energy supply as other sources are hard to be used on board a satellite under conditions of its flight at heights from 105 to 120 km when high resistance of atmosphere demands persistent support of flight by engines draft.

However, the prohibition imposed by International Agreements on usage of satellites with nuclear reactors on orbits lower than 800 km height has actually closed the perspective project of Demetriades forever.
Marwick project fixed by two USA patents (US4775120 and US5199671) is based on application of a powerful heavy and bulky electromagnetic mass accelerator constructed on the Moon.

Second condition of the project implementation is creation of hypermassive satellites on circumlunar orbit in one of libration points and on low circumterrestrial orbit. Marwick system works in following way. Portions of moon regolith processed in corresponding way in order to give them required solidity are ejected from Moon surface by electromagnetic mass accelerator. This substance flow is redirected towards the circumterrestrial hypermassive ASD with a help of circumlunar ASD by uncomplicated means. Simultaneously cargoes from the earth are directed to the same satellite. Basing on satellite by means of blows momentum (motion impulse) is transferred from high-speed lunar cargoes to low-speed terrestrial ones. That’s why instead of directing a rocket to the height of low-orbit base and speeding it up to complete leveling of speeds, the rockets used for cargoes delivery in the described way start up strictly in vertical direction, discharge cargo and fall down to the earth where they pass technical maintenance and used iteratively. The discharged cargo is directed in such a way that it enters into an opening of a large chamber used for cargoes reception and then inside of the chamber it collides with a big mass of buffer substance by the center of the chamber in such a way that the cargo remains inside the chamber and the chamber walls remain undamaged. Cargoes from the earth enter the chamber through its front opening at the speed of around 8 km/s and lunar substance cargoes enter the chamber through its back opening at the speed of around 11 km/s (with a speed of 3 km/s relative to the chamber). So far as vector sum of substances’ moments directed from the earth and directed from the moon is approximately equal to zero due to the right matching of masses, the height and the speed of satellite used for cargoes reception remains practically constant. Insignificantly bigger moment when getting cargoes of lunar substances can compensate atmospheric resistance of environment. It can be also used for creating the draught of an apparatus like PROFAC. In this way it allows us to take oxygen from the atmosphere as well as other gases from the earth Surface which are not subjected to high temperatures and percussive overloads at the moment of colliding with the cargo trap.
With all its possibilities to reduce in dozens of times the specific cost of cargoes delivery into space with rockets Marwick project still cannot be implemented in the nearest future due to far too big masses of applied devices. The mass of lunar mass accelerator is evaluated at 2000 tons. The ASD masses - 10 thousand tons each.
In Russian patents of Mayboroda (RU2398717 and RU2385275) and analogous applications for foreign patents (PCT/RU2010/000036 Pub. No.: WO/2010/082869, PCT/RU2009/000739 Pub. No.: WO/2010/095977 and PCT/RU2011/000002) there is a solution of problems impeding embodiment of progressive ASD concept up till now.
The problem of excessive mass for ASD accepting high solidity cargoes is solved by rejecting the scheme proposed by Marwick on the reception of cargoes from Earth in one single portion into one large chamber with a big stock of buffer substances protecting it from shock waves: one portion is replaced by a flow of small portions also delivered by one suborbital rocket. The mass of chamber with buffer substance should at least be in 10000 times bigger than the mass of cargo received with the speed of around 8000 m/s. Accordingly partitioning of entire cargo into 10-100 thousand portions (that is its transformation into a substance flow which parts are entering the chamber and brake in it step-by-step) such partitioning reduces the necessary mass of reception chamber with buffer substance in 10-100 thousand times as well. In result of this patented solution mass of ASD reception chamber turns out to be reduced from 10000 tons in Marwick project to 1 ton in Mayboroda project. From technological point reception chamber for cargo delivered in a form of substance flow is an analogue to rocket engine but functioning in an opposite way. Appearance and parameters of the system may differ from case to case.
Second invention
Mayboroda's second invention develops the Marwick concept, as reflected in his application for a discovery, on using the mechanical energy of extraterrestrial matter for the acceleration of space aircrafts. Mayboroda's method is a sort of continuation of a number of concepts held by such activists as Igor Merculov
, Stanislaw Ulam, Ted Taylor and Freeman Dyson ().

It solves the problem of launching of cargoes from Earth into space basing on passing them mechanical energy from extraterrestrial substances or, what is more important, from terrestrial substances preliminary accumulated on circumterrestrial orbit (Pic. 6-10 and 11-12).

The problem of launching of cargoes from Earth into space basing on passing them impulse from cargoes already located on circumterrestrial orbit is solved similarly to the considered previous problem. Marwick devices which increase their speed only under the influence of moon cargoes incoming from stern should have mass exceeding the mass of single cargo in several degrees. In case of usage of substance flow (liquid or solid) with mass equal to that of single cargo, the mass of cargo reception chamber is reduced by thousands times. However it would still stay big enough if substance flow entering the chamber stayed in the device and accumulated there same as in ASD. That’s why in second Mayboroda patent for spacecraft acceleration with kinetic energy of orbital cargoes accumulation of cargoes doesn't take place - elastic collision is applied (in its physical-theoretical meaning). The flow entering the chamber is reflected in opposite direction that reduces chamber mass to values very close to those of the existing rocket engines. In this way the spacecraft mass in its absolute and specific value is brought to the values making it possible to launch such spacecraft from Earth in the beginning (on the first stage) in usual rocket way up to 100-150 km height and then applying the patented way which consists in fact that the substance track of many kilometers moving at the speed of 8000 - 11000 m/s and formed up by special devices is colliding with the aerospacecraft and accelerates it up to orbital speed in several minutes by uninterrupted pushing it into stern. The mass of such an accelerating track is approximately equal to that of the launched spacecraft. If for example the mass of an spacecraft launched into space is 10 tons and it is launched into elliptical orbit with apogee at 400 km height while orbital track has got speed of 10000 m/s in perigee at 100 km height in the point of contact, then the track mass will also be around 10 tons. Frozen nitrogen can be the substance of the track (as well as its low-volatile liquid and solid combinations with oxygen or such a non-cryogenic product as hydrazine hydrate), reinforced by aramid or polyethylene fibers in a quantity of 1% of the nitrogen mass. From the night side of the Earth, such an accelerating track can be used without any harm to its safety due to the absence of solar radiation. Then the required mass of nitrogen could be accumulated PROFAC-type ASD for one month of operation with its engines’ draught of 30 N only.
If ASD draught is created by electrodynamic tether engine the electric power of solar batteries feeding the engine will be not higher than 0.3 MW (considering calling into shady side of the orbit). In course of one year of operation such system is parking twelve devices with total mass of 120 tons into orbit. As opposed to Marwick projects, cargo of such devices can be both people and different equipment. With next parking at geostationary orbit (if it was the purpose of launching) each such transportation device will be delivering communication satellite of two-three tones. And with 0.9 MW solar battery power capacity the proposed system will provide devices parked at low orbit with rocket fuel stocks of 240 tons mass. In general there are no principal limitations on volumes of fuel refueling into low-flying satellites - the volumes of delivery can be as large as necessary basing on calculation of production of 33 tones of fuel per month for each 1 MW of ASD solar batteries’ electric power supply.
Implementation of the first invention in the form of a rope system and the second invention in the form of a kinetic engine in suborbital devices makes it possible to launch substantial quanta of cargoes into space including manned spacecrafts without usage of heavy CR like Saturn V or Space shuttle. For example single-step rocket based on CR “Zenit-2” with its useful utilization block equipped with Mayboroda kinetic engine can launch into orbit from 100 km height cargoes of around 200 tons, single- step variant of CR “Proton” - around 300 tons, one-step variants of CR Space shuttle and CR Saturn V - up to 800 tons and 1200 tons accordingly. Economic benefit from such innovation - economy of budgets on development and commissioning of heavy CR of tens of billion dollars, economic effect from substantial reduction of terms of big cargoes launching start and their exploitation, reduction in launches specific value. As for modern cargoes with not great mass within the limits of 5-10 tons - for their launch it is enough to use single-step CRs with 15-25 tons launching mass.
Ecological, Energetical and Economic Importance of Mayboroda's contributions
The main direction of use of Maiboroda's methods (is) - transportation of raw and constructional materials, photoelectric convertors, details of constructions and aggregates manufactured out of the delivered raw materials to build satellite solar electric power stations on the known plans of Germany, Japan and the USA. Low cost of services is the ground of successful implementation of the projects. This direction is also perspective due to the fact that electric power stations which can be assembled by parts in orbits can be a part of GCTS system during a certain time-period and in this way can provide for themselves their inexpensive transportation from Earth into space. It would be recalled that 1 MW of GCTS solar batteries electric power provides delivery of 33 tons of cargoes from earth per month or 400 tons per year. This means that with plans of creating a gigawatt-capacity electric power station, there will appear the "free" possibility of launching equipment for the station with a total mass of up to 33 thou tons per 1GW of station capacity monthly in case of delivery to low orbit and not less than 10 thou tons per 1GW monthly in the case of a geostationary orbit.
Significant economic effect is provided by delivery to the orbit by the patented method of silicon and other types of raw materials necessary for production of photoelectric converters (PEC) or solar batteries (SB) under conditions of space vacuum - raw materials delivery to orbital industrial stations at the price of ~$50/kg will provide success of space energetics commercialization. In the USA there already worked out corresponding technologies of line production of thin-membrane SBs on board the spacecrafts.
Implementation of the famous large-scale plans on creation of commercial satellite solar power stations is restrained only by high prices of cargoes delivery into space. For the pilot project of a commercial power station for power supply of consumers in Japan there reserved $20 billion and defined a group of companies- participants from 16 business firms.
Production of SB in orbital complexes has got potential customers as represented by the companies exploiting geostationary communication satellites. At present power capacity of communication satellites is substantially limited and this, with low prices of SB production in the orbit due to the given invention, creates possibility of monopolistic satisfaction of the demand on auxiliary power-generating units for communication satellites.
Together with regular inexpensive deliveries of working substance for engines of geostationary satellites orientation, auxiliary solar power-generating units for communication satellites open the market of additional places on geostationary orbit: with availability of the working substance and the source of energy a spacecraft can be placed in the non-keplerian orbit (NKO), or the so-called levitated displaced orbit. It’s surface doesn’t pass through the Earth masses centre and it’s parameters are not defined only by gravitation force. The geostationary NKO represents itself a zone in the form of a band of 20-100 km width that increases the number of paid places for communication satellites in dozens of times and even more.
Production of SB in the orbit under the condition of possible inexpensive procedure of the products returning to the Earth is also profitable in case of membrane PECs production for earth-based solar power stations. According to the data of European Photovoltaics Association (EPIA), the world bulk of industrial facilities on PEC production in 2009 was making up around 24 GW and the world bulk of industrial facilities in 2014 will reach 65 GW. Within this bulk the share of thin-membrane modules is growing up from 17% in 2009 to 25% in 2014. The specific cost of capacity of flat modules of the solar batteries in the world market makes up $4-5/W and the cost of photoelectric arrangements - $7-10/W. Considering the fact that at present silicon consumption coefficient is making up around 7.5 g/W for regular SB and 0.5 g/W for the membrane ones, the patented method for delivering silicon to orbital industrial complexes (~$0.05/g) provides profitability of production of SB for the earth-based consumers with possible sales volume within the limits of the standard 10% of the world market. On a scale of 2009 it will make up more than $10 billion per year.
The inventions given make it possible to realise quickly the well-known projects of colonizing the Moon.
, the Mars etc.
Space colonization
The kinetic engine allows us to use kinetic energy of nonterrestrial substances, for example, orbital stocks of lunar water and regolith to launch spacecrafts from the Earth into space using simple suborbital apparatus similar to Blue Origin New Shepard, Space Plane (EADS Astrium Space Tourism Project) or SpaceShipOne as a transport means. To launch an interplanetary expedition the engine of Mayboroda allows to use not only mechanical energy of lunar substances but also the energy of substances (CO<sub>2</sub>) accumulated at the orbits of Mars and Venus with an accumulating space device (ASD) of Demetriades which were then resent onto the circumterrestrial orbit.
In this way if in the famous R. Zubrin’s project of utilizing the atmospheric resources of Mars they are used for one purpose only and that is to return an interplanetary ship to the Earth whereas in A. Mayboroda’s project the atmospheric resources of Mars ensure a ship delivery from the Earth to Mars or other planets as well. In this way Mars pays for the whole journey to itself.
The first economic project of profitable exploitation of the would-be-found resources on Mars and Venus so far as the interests of the human civilization are concerned could be done via accumulating carbon dioxide from the planet’s atmosphere with the help of accumulating space devices (ASD) PROFAC with nuclear source of energy. Accumulation of atmospheric substances becomes possible for the purpose of transporting tankers filled with frozen CO2 with the help of interplanetary tugboats to circumterrestrial orbits with the end of selling to private and state aero cosmic companies as a working substance for the kinetic engine of Alexander Mayboroda.
In compliance with various international agreements nuclear energy cannot be used to accumulate substances from the Earth atmosphere. However it is not the issue when we want to use nuclear accumulating space device on Mars and Venus. In this way it is quite possible to create unlimited and inexpensive stocks of oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and argon. Exploitation of the kinetic engine of Alexander Mayboroda gives us an opportunity to use these stocks not only as a working substance of interorbital and interplanetary apparatus but more importantly as a working substance of engines of spacecrafts launched from the Earth into space which reduces the cost of launching cargoes and people by 20 times. Roughly speaking every ton of atmospheric substances accumulated from the atmospheres of Mars and Venus and tugged to the Earth gives an opportunity to deliver about one ton of cargoes (passenger capsules) from the Earth into space with the help of simple onestage reusable apparatus like Space Plane, SpaceShipOne or New Shepard.
Regolith of Phobos and Deimos has a huge commercial value as well as mars (venus) carbon dioxide (in case of delivering regolith to the Earth) because its kinetic energy can be also used to launch spacecrafts from the Earth. Later on mars colonies will be buyers of the services of using the kinetic engine of Alexander Mayboroda. It is realizable if there will be resources attractive to exporting to Earth or other space colonies. The thing is that the mechanical energy of Deimos (which could be utilized by the engine of Alexander Mayboroda) will allow us to launch from the Mars to the Earth various spacecrafts weighing up to one trillion of tons (10 t).
Family and personal life
Alexander is married and has two daughters. He is not currently identified with any particular political party or movement, although in the past he was once a candidate for a deputy of the State Duma from the Russian Democratic Party “Yabloko” which fights for the wider freedom and civil liberties in Russia, for closer integration with the West,i.e. better relations with the United States of America and membership in the European Union”.
Religious views

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