A Hoist to the Heavens A space elevator could be the biggest
thing to happen since the Stone Age, but can we build one?
Rockets are getting us nowhere fast. Since the dawn of the space
age, the way we get into space hasn't changed: we spend tens or
hundreds of millions of dollars on a rocket whose fundamental
operating principle is a controlled chemical explosion. We need
something better, and that something is a space elevator--a
superstrong, lightweight cable stretching 100 000 kilometers
from Earth's surface to a counterweight in space. Roomy elevator
cars powered by electricity would speed along the cable. For a
fraction of the cost, risk, and complexity of today's rocket
boosters, people and cargo would be whisked into space in
relative comfort and safety. It sounds like a crazy idea, and
indeed the space elevator has been the stuff of science fiction
for decades. But if we want to set the stage for the large-scale
and sustained exploration and colonization of the planets and
begin to exploit solar power