Space elevator robot reaches 1000-feet

Space elevator robot reaches 1000-feet - Engadget - www.engadget.com

We were certain that this was just a pie in the sky concept, but apparently engineers are hard at work designing those futuristic space elevators that promise to eventually whisk cargo and humans to the final frontier at a fraction of the cost of rocket-based delivery systems. A new milestone has just been reached in this quest, with Washington state-based LiftPort Group Inc. reporting a successful test run of their Sword Over Damocles robot to a height of 1000-feet. Tethered to a large helium-filled balloon, the 23-pound Sword, as it's known, was able to climb up and down the long cable while workers kept the balloon steady with guide ropes. While this technology still has a long way to go, challenges such as NASA's October 21 First Annual Space Elevator Competition at the Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley are spurring design teams to push the limits of both their robots and the super-strong, carbon nanotube-based ribbons that are key to supporting them.

Gosh, I wonder why one of our readers didn't send this to me for posting? Not mentioning any names but I know someone out there probably heard about this. (Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink. Say no more). Anyway, I've been enamored with the space elevator ever since I read about the possibility in a sci-fi novel. I think it was Clarke...anyone help out my failing memory? So hurry up and build me an elevator dammit!