IEEE – IFTF predictions do not include a Space Elevator

Last February and March, the Institute For The Future (IFTF) partnered with the Insitute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in order to conduct a survey; “The survey asked participants to identify key breakthroughs in their areas of expertise and then to forecast probabilities of future developments.”

The survey, published in September of 2006 (IFTF pdf report available here and IEEE report available here), did not specifically mention a Space Elevator – an SE was only mentioned, somewhat disparagingly as something that the survey participants were too “down-to-earth” to predict.

We’ll see…

One thought on “IEEE – IFTF predictions do not include a Space Elevator

  1. Patrick Boake

    There’s always a group that, somewhere down the road, some scribe trots out as the ones who said it will never happen.

    I think the ‘too down to Earth’ line gets repeated for its pun value but doesn’t have as much substance as all that.

    I’m sure there are going to be many things this survey’s respondents will be wrong about or didn’t see coming at all.

    Truth is always stranger than fiction (and surveys).

    –PB–

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