Space Elevator Serious Science

Space elevators. Arthur C.
Clarke first envisioned them in his 1979 novel Fountains of Paradise.
Of all
of the
far-out sci-fi
ideas floating around it always seemed the most obvious and realizable.

It may be time to stop smiling.  As reported by the
Guardian, scientists,
including NASA, are taking this seriously.

"Engineers say that recent advances in materials science – particularly
in the development of carbon nanotubes – mean that such a system is no
longer pure science fiction.

Nasa is no longer laughing. It is putting several million
dollars into the project under its advanced concepts programme.”