The latest set of rulebooks for the Climber / Power-Beaming and Tether events at the Spaceward Games are now available online. The general outline for this year’s Climber / Power-Beaming event has been known for some time; the climb has been increased to a full kilometer and the average speed needed to be in the running […]
The initial Rulebooks for next year’s Climber (Power Beaming) and Tether competitions have been posted by Elevator2010. To quote Ben Shelef, Elevator2010 CEO; “We’re taking public comments on the rulebooks, [and] will post 1.0 rulebooks by the end of the month.” The Climber (Power Beaming) rulebook can be found here and the Tether rulebook can be found […]
The two new books by Bradley Edwards are now available on lulu.com. The first, co-edited with David Raitt, is Running the Line. Science fiction is the realm of dreams, ambitions, hopes and fears. Science is what separates fiction from reality. But what happens when science and technology progress to the point where we can make science […]
I learned today that Dr. Bradley Edwards is in the final stages of releasing two new books relating to the Space Elevator. The first, written in conjunction with Phil Ragan, is a book dedicated to explaining the concept of the Space Elevator to the layman. It’s entitled “Leaving the Planet by Space Elevator“. The second […]
This video is much in the news lately… I first saw this video at the 2014 ISEC Space Elevator Conference. Michael Laine, the driving force behind LiftPort, gave a short talk at the conference and showed this video. I’m not sure if the one now viewable on YouTube is an updated version from the one […]
Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog knows about how the Space Elevator has become a staple in parts of Japan’s culture – TV shows, cartoon shows, Anime, Manga, books, etc. with a space elevator in them are quite common. One of these movies, Miracle of Endymion, was released in 2013 (with a […]
Yesterday, I posted several space elevator themed artistic creations and have some more for you today. Without further ado… First up is a very cool Anime creation drawn by Fatimi Kito. I don’t know anything else about it, but found it here. Next up we have a creation from Don Dixon. According to his website, […]
In yesterday’s post, I talked about the new crowd-funding campaign to create Space Elevator – 20XX, a “dialogue driven web game“. Reading about this new project and then writing the blog post caused me to think about life on a space elevator and the books I had read which had this as theme. The ones […]
Something else to put on my reading list… American Author Jason Hough has penned a trilogy which seems to have not one, but two space elevators as central objects in the plot. The Dire Earth Cycle, released in three parts in July, August & September of 2013 (yes, I know, I’m late to this, but […]
I must admit, I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, the trilogy was EXCELLENT. Exciting, thought-provoking, outstanding science-fiction. On the other hand, the destruction to the Planet Mars following the sabotage of the Martian Space Elevator was gloriously, elaborately, excruciatingly described. Current thinking dictates that a “real” space elevator would not be built […]
Another Space Elevator Conference is in the books, three very interesting and successful days. There were a lot of highlights and, in no particular order (and just my own opinion, of course) they are; The attendance of several people from Japan and the Japan Space Elevator Agency (JSEA). They are very, very interested in partnering […]
A few weeks ago, first-time author Jerry Kaczmorowski emailed me and asked if I would like to review his book Moon Rising. He told me that there was an American-built space elevator involved (as well as some other details I’ll let the reader explore) and, of course, that was enough to get me to say […]
Yes, today this blog celebrates its 8th anniversary – it’s hard to believe that I’ve been doing this for such a long time… Much has happened in the Space Elevator field since I first began my missives. In no particular order they are: The Space Elevator Games – this joint venture between NASA and the […]
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 […]
In the National Geographic children’s book Weird but True 4: 300 Outrageous Facts, one of the items mentioned is the Space Elevator. It shows the Mondolithic conceptual graphic of a Space Elevator and the fact mentioned is “In the future, you may be able to take a Space Elevator thousands of miles above the earth.” […]
I posted earlier about the LiftPort Kickstarter campaign; it has now raised over $96,000 – and there is only 11 hours to go (as of this post). If you want to contribute towards the rebirth of LiftPort, here’s a tangible way to show your support! And, I also posted earlier about The Tower of Babel: NASA’s Great Endeavor, a new […]
A few days ago, I posted about Vern McGeorge’s eBook, All Fall Down, and mentioned that it would be free (Kindle version) from July 4th through the 8th. This offer is open now, so visit the website and download this eBook for free! I asked Vern if he had any comments about the writing process or anything else he […]
Once again, all together now; Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Space Elevator Blog! Happy birthday to you! Really, six years. I remember when I started this blog. I was recovering from some fairly major surgery and was sitting at my computer, just poking around the ‘net, looking for something […]
When the International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC) was first formed, the only website available with the ISEC acronym was http://www.isec.info. Much later on, http://www.isec.org became available and we snatched it up. You can visit either URL and see the ISEC website, but our internal/external email addresses have always been isec.info, not isec.org. This has been […]
I’m a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor (not so sure about the person) and one of my favorite movies of his was Total Recall. Futuristic, lots of mind-twists, unseen aliens, etc., all things which appeal to a science fiction geeks like me. In a recent posting on io9, David Hughes tells us how […]
In the February 2, 2012 issue of Nature, there is an article entitled “Nonlinear material behaviour of spider silk yields robust webs”. This article is, unfortunately, paywalled, but you can probably find a copy of the magazine at your local bookstore. The Editor’s Summary of the article is as follows: Spider silk is one of […]
Early last year, I posted about an iPad app developed by Mr. Shigeo Saito of the Japan Space Elevator Association (JSEA). Recently I learned that he has ported this application from the iPad to the iPhone – so, if you have an iPhone (and, I think there are a few of you that do), then […]
In keeping with the International Space Elevator Consortium’s (ISEC) theme of “Longer, stronger tethers – 30MYuri or Bust!“, the Space Elevator Conference has assembled an all-star lineup for its Friday, August 12th program. This day of the program is dedicated to stronger tethers and the Guest speakers that have been assembled are simply awesome. From […]
A few updates for you… Over at Marc Boucher’s Space Elevator Reference (THE original Space Elevator website), Marc tells us that “The European Spaceward Association has made available a summary report from the recent 4th Luxembourg Carbon Nanotechnology and Space Elevator Systems as well as the book of abstracts.” Full details and links can be […]
Here’s an animation that just showed up in my FeedDemon reader – 8 animals riding on a Space Elevator, part of a United Nations project: “The Animal Conference on the Environment” multimedia project was launched in 1997 during the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Kyoto, […]
For the very first (and, hopefully, only) time, I’m sorry I’m not an Apple guy. The Japan Space Elevator Association has just released a Space Elevator app for the iPAD. The graphic shown in the picture is the cover of a booklet that Mr. Shigeo Saito of the JSEA wrote & released a year or […]
I received the following email from Brian Turner, captain of the Kansas City Space Pirates: Well, At some point you have to give up and move on. The ideal point for this passed some time ago. Perhaps years ago. 😉 The risk/reward ratio is just no longer where it needs to be to make the […]
This is the third in a three part series of Conversations with Yuri Artsutanov. Part I can be found here and Part II can be found here. What Yuri Artsutanov told us about himself Conversations with Yuri Artsutanov by phone, March 2010 Q. When and where were you born? A.I was born on the 5th […]
This is the second part of a three part series; “Conversations with Yuri Artsutanov”. Part I can be found here. Dyson Sphere (Conversation with Yura Artsutanov by phone – Melbourne – St Petersburg), March 2010 Q. What is Dyson’s sphere? A. Dyson is an American scientist-physicist. He proposed that if we want to survive in […]
I’ve read several books by David Brin and enjoyed them all. This is the first time, however, I’ve seen a David Brin video (albeit a YouTube version). He talks about future technologies, Space Shuttle fuel tanks representing a lost opportunity, tethers, solar sails and, briefly, Space Elevators. He’s a skeptic of the idea of an […]
If he was still with us, Sir Arthur C. Clarke would have been 92 today, December 16th. I assume that most readers of this blog know who Sir Clarke is, but, if by some chance you’re not, then you’re missing a treat. Sir Clarke was one of the most prolific and one of the very […]
This video is from the recently completed Space Elevator Games. It shows what ‘went wrong’ with a Climber pick-up before the problems were fixed and then it ‘went right’. Brian Turner, captain of the Kansas City Space Pirates, is narrating. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riEqeEj6YqI[/youtube] . And one more Space Elevator-themed video. I think I posted an earlier version […]
On the plane ride over to Luxembourg (I am attending and presenting at the EuroSpaceward Conference this coming weekend), I read Michel van Pelt’s new book; Space Tethers and Space Elevators. Michel had kindly sent me a copy some months ago, and I had been saving reading it for this trip. I can’t sleep on […]
Dr. Brad Edwards, co-author of The Space Elevator and Leaving the Planet by Space Elevator, has appeared in two new interviews. These interviews discusses the Space Elevator somewhat, but concentrate much more on nanotechnology in general. In the first interview, Dr. Edwards briefly discusses the Space Elevator before the conversation turns to developments in nanotechnology. […]
Michel Van Pelt has written a new book; Space Tethers and Space Elevators available at Amazon.com (but, unfortunately, not on Kindle). I received my copy a few days ago, but will not be able to review it until after the upcoming Space Elevator Conference (coming soon – are you registered yet? You should be…) – […]
Here is some more Space Elevator miscellany, gleaned from the web over the past several weeks… The website Next Big Future always has interesting posts and I subscribed to it long ago. This is a posting from this site from last January, talking about Alan Windle’s carbon nanotube ribbons. According to the article, he has […]
Sometimes lost amid the hoopla surrounding the upcoming Space Elevator Games is the fact that the 2009 Space Elevator Conference begins in just a few short weeks; from August 13-16 in Redmond, Washington. This conference is the latest in a series of conferences about Space Elevators which began in September of 2002. Much has […]
In June of last year, I blogged about a new book, The Mirrored Heavens, by newcomer David Williams. I’ve only recently been able to begin reading the book and, while I’m not finished with it yet, I can safely say that the first section of the book is non-stop, pulse-pounding action. Truly, it gets your […]
Once again, all together now; Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Space Elevator Blog! Happy birthday to you! Yes, I know it’s April Fools day, but again this is no joke – three years ago today, I started this blog. It’s been yet another exciting year. In keeping with my tradition […]
. . . . I finally have my copy of the new Marvel release, Iron Man – The End. It’s been one busy week, so I didn’t have a chance to read it until tonight. The issue is about 98% Iron Man and 2% Space Elevator, but hey, 2% of a Marvel Iron Man issue […]
While browsing through Amazon today, I came upon a new book (not yet released), Space Elevators and Space Tethers. I am not familiar with the author, Michel Van Pelt, but I have emailed him to see if I can get any additional information I can give to my readers before the expected release date (March, 2009) […]
A few odds ‘n ends, related to our favorite subject… First of all, a new video has been posted on YouTube. This is not the first Line Rider video I’ve seen, but it’s the first one I’ve seen with a Space Elevator in it. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG2P92cLYrE[/youtube] . Next we have this blog post by Mike Brotherton (“Rocket Scientists […]
Anyone who has paid any attention to this blog knows that I am a HUGE fan of Sir Arthur C. Clarke. His works, fiction and non-fiction, are compelling, well-researched, out-of-the-box, etc., etc., etc. No one who knows me should be surprised that I pre-ordered his final book (The Last Theorem, co-authored with Frederik Pohl) from Amazon, […]
We have a large Japanese presence at the conference this year, and they have made a tremendous contribution to the proceedings. In addition, to making several presentations (and some very exciting announcements), they have brought an exhibit, a DVD we all watched during the “Mixer” hour this evening and probably a few other things I’m forgetting […]
I received a note a few days ago from David J. Williams, the author of a new book; “The Mirrored Heavens“. In his email to me, David writes: “I’m the author of the just-released THE MIRRORED HEAVENS, which was published on May 20th by Random House’s Bantam Spectra. The book centers on events following the destruction […]
Brian Turner of the Kansas City Space Pirates pointed out a very interesting article to me, an article discussing the latest success from Boeing with their battlefield laser weapon system they are developing. From the article: Boeing Fires New Thin-Disk Laser, Achieving Solid-State Laser Milestone ST. LOUIS, June 03, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: […]
Well, that didn’t take long. The video clip I put up of Brian Turner of the Kansas City Space Pirates appearing on the Conan O’Brien show has been taken down due to “Copyright violations”. I don’t know why – there’s a ton of other Conan video clips up on YouTube. Maybe someone from another Climber/Power-Beaming […]
Akira Tsuchida, Captain and Fearless Leader of Team E-T-C, emailed me to let me know that the book by Brad Edwards and Philip Ragan, Leaving the Planet by Space Elevator, has now been translated into Japanese and is available at Japanese book stores. The translation of its title into Japanese results in ??????????? (The Space […]
Today we received the very sad news of the passing of one of Science-Fiction’s and Science-Fact’s true giants, Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Sir Clarke recently celebrated his 90th birthday (chronicled here and elsewhere). He introduced millions (including this blogger) to the concept of a Space Elevator through his blending of fiction, prediction and fact in the brilliant book, […]
On last Sunday’s ‘The Space Show’, Dr. David Livingston interviewed NASA’s Ken Davidian (an event I previewed here). Most of the interview was spent talking about ‘NASA culture’ and Ken’s new role in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) part of NASA. Ken has also been heading up NASA’s Centennial Challenges program, the program which […]