A radically different way to reach outer space -- the space elevator -- may finally be getting off the ground floor thanks to recent huge advances in technology.

Traveling thousands of miles into the cosmos up a length of super-strong material, it is believed that the space elevator could revolutionize space exploration by providing an affordable means of transporting satellites, space station supplies, and one day even tourists into space.



The concept of the space elevator was first mooted by Russian engineer Yuri Artsutanov in the 1960s, and until recently has remained more familiar to fans of science fiction, such as Arthur C. Clarke's1979 novel, "The Fountains of Paradise."

Previous ideas, such as lassoing one end of the elevator cable to an asteroid in geo-stationary orbit, haven't helped the concept to be accepted as a serious project.

However there is a growing recognition that what once seemed a starry idea is not merely feasible but probable.

"It's a very credible idea; there is nothing wrong with the physics of it. If enough funding is found, it's possible we could see a space elevator in about 20 years," Robert Cassanova, director of NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts told CNN.

The basic premise involves an elevator that would travel from its base station up a cable tethered at the other end to a counterweight in geo-stationary orbit. Satellites, supplies or astronauts would be loaded onto the elevator climber at the offshore platform anchored on the equator, where risks of storms, lightning and hurricanes are minimal.

The main stumbling block in the past has been finding a material strong and light enough to reach up to 62,000 miles into space.

Space elevator expert Dr Bradley Edwards of the Spaceward Foundation is a pioneer in space elevator design. He believes that the current and ongoing developments in carbon nanotube technology holds the key to the project.

"Previously the material challenges were too great. But now we're getting close with the advances in creating carbon nanotubes and in building machines that can spin out the great lengths of material needed to create a ribbon that will stretch up into space," he told CNN.

Edwards envisions a paper-thin ribbon of approximately one meter in width composed of multiple strings of nanotubes - essentially sheets of graphite, a lattice of carbon - seamlessly rolled into long tubes that are only nanometers in diameter.

To the naked eye it would appear semi-transparent and no thicker than that width of a pencil, yet would be incredibly strong and light. Recently produced carbon nanotube fibers have been found to be over 20 times stronger than steel wire.

Building an elevator to space sounds like a great idea. We will be able to transport supplies to space stations and satellites much cheaper. This will allow us to explore space faster and perhaps find new sources of energy. We might even find some extraterrestrials!

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