Carbon nanotubes are probably a near term possibility, but a space elevator might be further off than you think, geostatic orbits are over 20,000 miles up. That's compared to 200 for the space shuttle. It's not at all clear there is enough need to move stuff that high to justify the cost, even it is technically possible. Pretty much the only things that orbits that high are communication satellites.
andruejaysin Reviewed by andruejaysin on . Space Elevator Has anyone ever heard about the space elevator? It's an idea for a tether that attaches to the ground at one end, and attaches to a counterweight that is out past geosynchronous orbit at the other end. The fact that the counterweight is out past geosynchronous orbit means that the tether is kept tight by centrifugal force, and you can run an "elevator" or "climber" up the cable to orbit. You could drop a satelite off at the geosynchronous orbit point, and have it in orbit without ever Rating: 5