Need a lift?

A “space elevator” isn’t a new concept to fans of speculative fiction and speculative science. The question is, could such a device be in our future?

5 replies on “Need a lift?”

  1. Going…. UP!
    “30,000th floor ladies and gentlemen.
    Underwear, kitchen goods, and Issey Miyake space suits. All off, for the 30,000th floor please.”

    Okay perhaps not, but how long before McDonalds or GAP put a shop at the top of one!!!

  2. rockets

    “The whole beanstalk idea and the whole idea of putting a
    ribbon into space and just climbing it is a hard concept to sell to people on
    Earth who are used to rockets,”

    Yes, pitiful eathlings…

  3. If I recall
    If my memory serves me correctly, which it has been known to do on rare occasions, Arthur C. Clark used this concept in one of his stories.

    Shortly there after, he recieved a visit from and organization called “Christians In Action.” The Christians wanted to know who told him about this idea, the “sky hook” I think he called it. Eventually he convinced them that he just came up with it himself.

    Not too long after that, the Christians’ opposite number from the then Soviet Union paid Mr. Clark a visit and asked him some very similar questions.

    Or so one of history proff’s claims.

    • Re: If I recall

      If my memory serves me correctly, which it has been known to do on rare
      occasions, Arthur C. Clark used this concept in one of his stories.

      Shortly
      there after, he recieved a visit from and organization called “Christians In
      Action.” The Christians wanted to know who told him about this idea, the
      “sky hook” I think he called it. Eventually he convinced them that he just came
      up with it himself.

      Not too long after that, the Christians’ opposite
      number from the then Soviet Union paid Mr. Clark a visit and asked him some
      very similar questions.

      Or so one of history proff’s claims.

      A sky hook is also a construction site practical joke. You ask the new guy to
      go get you a sky hook and see how long it’ll take him to realise that there is
      no such thing.

    • Re: If I recall

      …he recieved a visit from and organization called “Christians In Action.”

      I must be getting slow – I had to re-read that post twice before I figured out why an organization called “Christians In Action” would be interested in space.

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