elwoodblues

As always, science fiction leads the curve by decades...

<a href="http://www.techtv.com/news/scitech/story/0,24195,3370398,00.html" target="_blank">http://www.techtv.com/news/scitech/story/0,24195,3370398,00.html</a>

The most exciting parts:

""The cost of getting into space would drop by a factor of about 100 immediately," Edwards said. "In the long run, it could drop by a factor of about 10,000." "

""The consensus was, given proper technology development, there were basically no showstoppers that we could see of any major sort. It appears that over time, there is a reasonable way to solve all of the problems that we identified in the workshop about space elevators, and we believe they will eventually be possible to build," Smitherman said. "

And, not so exciting, but vastly indicative of the whole thing:

"After Clarke wrote "The Fountains of Paradise," which included the space elevator concept, he was asked when such devices might actually come into use. His response: "Probably about 50 years after everyone quits laughing." "

I plan on seeing one before I die. Damn straight.

tronvillain

Apparently Jules Verne's Paris in the Twentieth Century was rejected with the comment "No one will ever believe your vision of the future." Anyway, a space elevator would probably be one of the greatest human constructions in history.

Marduk

"and she's buying a stairway to heaven"

jayh

I think tidal forces and electric potentials between the two ends are major problems with this idea.

Currently satellites tethered only a few hundred yards apart are almost impossible to manage.

j