What’s going on with Liftport…

Michael Laine is now trying to build up LiftPort’s presence in cyber-space.  He talks about this effort on the LiftPort blog here, here and here.  He also wants to recruit others into this effort and is openly appealing for some cyber-help.

The NSS Space Elevator Chapter weighs in on Michael’s efforts here.

Michael/LiftPort are obviously between a rock and a hard place.  There can be no Space Elevator without qualifying carbon nanotubes and those don’t appear to be imminent (please, please, please, someone announce them tomorrow and prove me wrong).  So it’s a question of surviving, in some form or another, until the ribbon material arrives on the scene.  And that survival can take the shape of moving into different markets, markets where one can actually sell product (and have a business plan that can attract investors), and/or living in cyber-space, trying to move the project along, until the nanotube logjam is broken.

Michael appears to be doing both, actively looking for applications for his balloon-tether-and-climber, as well as beefing up his cyber-presence.  I’ve sent him what thoughts/suggestions I have and I know that many others have too.  I hope that something clicks for him soon…