1 mile into the air. http://www.newscientistspace.com/article.ns?id=dn8725&feedId=space-tech_rss20
LiftPort Group, a private US company on a quest to build a space elevator by April 2018, stretched the strong carbon ribbon 1 mile (1.6 km) into the sky from the Arizona desert outside Phoenix in January tests, it announced on Monday.
The company’s lofty objective will sound familiar to followers of NASA’s Centennial Challenges programme. The desired outcome is a 62,000-mile (99,779 km) tether that robotic lifters – powered by laser beams from Earth – can climb, ferrying cargo, satellites and eventually people into space.
The recent test followed a September 2005 demonstration in which LiftPort’s robots climbed 300 metres of ribbon tethered to the Earth and pulled taut by a large balloon. This time around, the company tested an improved cable pulled aloft by three balloons.
We’re inching closer!
Wow! 0.0062 of the way there, only 61,999 miles to go!
I kid, I kid. Seriously, this is totally cool and awesome. And as something like this is about the only hope my 300-pound ass has of ever getting into space, I’m excited!
Tuckerfan, sometimes I think you need your own category. “Mundane and Pointless” this is not!
Yeah, ok, this is why I shouldn’t post at 6am… :smack:
I dunno…I think about us getting this accomplished, and then a couple of stoned aliens come crusing by.
“Hey Q’pangrtnz, check it man…Earth has a fuse now. Let’s fire it up.”