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Skyhook Robot Passes 1000 Foot Mark

Posted by Zonk on from the going-up dept.

JhohannaVH writes "MSNBC.com is running a story about yesterday's successful test of the Space Elevator!! Maybe it will become a reality after all." From the article: "This week's testing involved a 12-foot (4-meter) diameter balloon. Safety lines held by team members kept the balloon from floating away. The ribbon dangling from the balloon was made of composite fiberglass, with the robot lifter running up and down the tether ... During the day, the highest altitude reached by the balloon/ribbon/robot combination was 1,000 feet (305 meters). 'It gives us complete confidence that the mile goal is well within reach,' Laine said. Laine said that the Federal Aviation Administration has been very supportive and helpful in orchestrating their test flights. "

3 of 325 comments (clear)

  1. Bleh... by RayBender · · Score: 4, Interesting
    This is akin to saying that building a really nice looking command chair is a step towards a working warp drive in the starship Enterprise.

    The climber is trivial, compared to the cable. Wake me up when they have a cable that can hold 100 GPa and is longer than a millimeter.

    --
    Human genome = 3 billion base pairs = 6 GBit. Windows + Office = 20 Gbit. Which is more impressive?
  2. Re:1000 feet down... by malex23 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    You say that like it's a lot. Do you happen to know how much a new space shuttle would cost to build and operate?

    Hell, the Feds burnt though more than 20 million in Iraq this weekend.

  3. Re:And out of the atmosphere you do... what? by Stripe7 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Actually there is a project to use large balloons as heavy slow lifters. 1st stage balloon lifts the orbit balloon which uses an ion engine to get into orbit. It will take weeks to lift anything into space but it would be cheap and repeatable. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5025388/