This is a very cool idea. I can't see us building it anytime soon though.

There is no immediate profit motive. It is the kind of thing that would be vastly useful but that Private enterprise would never build themselves. Just like the Internet, The satellite system or the Highway system.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator

It is a cool idea, but not yet feasible to build. We continue to improve in our ability to produce better materials, and that may well eventually make it possible. When that level of advancement occurs, I'm fairly certain it will be built. It would be useful and profitable. It would allow materials to be manufactured in space and transported back to the earth at a reasonable price.

I don't see that ever being feasible. Wouldn't something like that be a hazard on commercial air travel? Think of the catastrophe if a plane's wing clips the cable. About the only way they could get around that is if they impose a buffer zone around the cable, but I think it would still be a disruption to commercial jets flying about.

Very Cool :)

It would be very easy to make a no-fly zone around the cable, but I don´t think an effective version is possible at the moment. It would drastically decrease the cost of bringing materials into space though. Terrorism could be a problem, but if we made the area around it a areal military training area we wouldn´t have to worry much about terrorism by air.

I´d love to see how this progresses

I don't see that ever being feasible. Wouldn't something like that be a hazard on commercial air travel? Think of the catastrophe if a plane's wing clips the cable. About the only way they could get around that is if they impose a buffer zone around the cable, but I think it would still be a disruption to commercial jets flying about.

They would build it out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, near the equator, no commercial flights really go there. Plus there would be a buffer zone. Anyways, I've done some personal research on the space elevator idea and I think it could be feesable relatively soon. As soon as they figure out how to mass produce the nano-fibers, and get someone to invest. Im sure someone would, its too good of a opportunity.

Yeah, it's a cool idea that's been around awhile. it would be a helluva project though. I think the first time I heard about was when I read "Red Mars."

What, though, if there were an eventual "weathering" of the cables, causing them to snap in the middle of a transport of a product into space, which sends the materian hurdling back towards earth? :)

What, though, if there were an eventual "weathering" of the cables, causing them to snap in the middle of a transport of a product into space, which sends the materian hurdling back towards earth? :)

Or better yet, what if they're high enough up that they go spinning off into space instead?

What kind of music would they play?

it would be very easy to upkeep, just send an elevator up every now and again to repair. The thing is only like 3 feet wide, and thin as paper.

It will get built as soon as we have the technical ability to make it.

http://educatedearth.net/video.php?id=2715

Here's a video on it. I think that the lazer idea is a load of crap though.

The Internet, as we know it, was built by private enterprise. Similarly, many satellites are owned by private enterprise.