An oldie, but still goodie, and, with the Space Elevator Conference coming up in just a few days, this seems apropos…
In 2011 and 2012, the Science Channel aired 8 shows in the Prophets of Science Fiction series. Episode 4, originally aired on November 30, 2011, featured Sir Arthur C Clarke (my all-time favorite sci-fi author).
One of his best books was the Fountains of Paradise, Sir Arthur’s concept of a Space Elevator. The show devotes a good portion of time to the concept and also to Michael Laine, head of LiftPort, and someone very active in the Space Elevator community.
You can see the movie as it is occasionally re-aired on the Science Channel and also, online, thanks to the awesomeness that is YouTube.
The Space Elevator segment starts at about 26:20 and the bit with Michael Laine starts at about 30:28. Michael, incidentally, will be attending this year’s Space Elevator Conference as he usually does and I will look forward to seeing him again there.