Is Space Elevator Ready for Liftoff?

Alex Goldmark reports on the new NASA-inspired space elevator design that is primed for testing and could make it possible for billionaires to step foot on the moon sooner than later.

1 minute read

September 15, 2012, 7:00 AM PDT

By Emily Williams


LiftPort President Michael Lain has his hands full with a very awe-inspiring task: designing the first-ever space elevator. Goldmark writes that NASA held a Space Elevator Games competition back in 2009, which has continued to inspire new groups, including LiftPort.

The purpose of this space elevator, claims Goldmark, is to expand current modes of space travel at a much reduced cost. In an interview, Lain describes the elevator as "a ladder that you can climb into space with using robots instead of rockets."

Lain is preparing to begin testing soon, and whether his experiments succeed could mean another major step forward for mankind into the great unknown.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012 in Transportation Nation

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