LiftPort has released their long-awaited “Road Map” and “Questions database” to building a functioning Space Elevator. The good news is that these documents have been released. The bad news is that LiftPort has now come to the conclusion that it’s going to take longer (13 years longer to be exact) to get the first one functional then first thought. I’ll be too old by then – guess I’m going to have to get involved and find some ways to shorten the development of this thing…
The LiftPort blog entry has the best summary of what’s been released. Congratulations to LiftPort!
06OCT2006 – Update. You know, I recall that the NIAC Phase I report that Dr. Brad Edwards did for NASA also had a timeline in it. It will be interesting to see how the two mesh.
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Too old?
The bad news is that LiftPort has now come to the conclusion that it’s going to take longer (13 years longer to be exact) to get the first one functional then first thought. I’ll be too old by then – guess I’m going to have to get involved and find some ways to shorten the development of this thing…
It’s not how old you are that counts, but rather will you go up that matters….
As far as speeding it up goes…we could always attempt at winning the lotto and donating towards LiftPort.
Trust me – if this thing is ready, I’m going up if they’ll let me – I don’t care how old I am, as long as I’m alive.
I haven’t taken a look at their project plan yet – that’s my project for this weekend. I’m hoping to find some critical task that I can help shorten.
Hey Ted,
Dr. Edwards of the Space Elevator Reference is claiming that much of the research LiftPort is saying needs to be done has been done already.
Unfortunately, the Liftport roadmap has little relevance to the space elevator development effort as a whole. Liftport apparently has not read or understood the literature on the space elevator and had no input from technical experts on the space elevator or large space or civil projects.
If Dr. Edwards is correct, then a Space Elevator by 2018 is very much possible (if not sooner). Would you mind taking a look at the full article and giving your take on the whole project?
I read Dr. Edward’s response this morning – gee, I wonder how he really feels? 🙂
Yes, I plan on “giving my take” on this whole thing, fwiw…