Hidden Nook
"Because in Cyberspace, no one can hear you scream."
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Space Elevator Becoming A Reality?
[Media Source*]
(MSNBC) A private group has taken one small step toward the prospect of building a futuristic space elevator.
LiftPort Group Inc., of Bremerton, Wash., has successfully tested a robot climber  a novel piece of hardware that reeled itself up and down a lengthy ribbon dangling from a high-altitude balloon.
Although the length was only 1,000 feet, this is quite an achievement for the team who hopes to conduct a similar test one mile up into the sky. The goal of these experiments is to build a space elevator reaching 62,000 miles from Earth into outer space. Corporations as well as Universities have already signed up in order to compete for bragging rights as well as enable mankind to leave our planet's atmosphere without the aid of rockets.
(MSNBC) The space elevator would be anchored to an offshore sea platform near the equator in the Pacific Ocean. At the other end in space, the ribbon would be attached to a small counterweight. Mechanical "lifters"  robotic elevator cars  would move up and down the ribbon, carrying such items as satellites, solar power systems and eventually people into space.
LiftPort's plan is to take the concept from the research laboratory to commercial development.
Currently NASA sends materials, satellites, etc. into space via rocket shuttles which can become quite expensive as well as dangerous (something the Columbia tragedy has reminded us all about) and a space elevator may be a safer, cheaper alternative into space, although it probably wouldn't be as fast as say, a rocket ship. It may also provide another option of traveling to the moon, costing only $10 billion compared to the $100 billion needed to revisit the lunar surface (Hat Tip: The Space Elevator Reference).
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, at
4:29 PM EDT
Hi, my name is Ariel Boekweg. I would like to thank you for you interest in this project. We have been working hard and it sure has paid off as you can see. I would like to invite you to sign up for our newsletter at http://liftport.com/lists.php to keep you updated on the project and what is happening here at LiftPort. Thanks for you time, Ariel Boekweg
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5:08 PM EDT
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