from hxxp://www.highliftsystems.com --
Simply stated, it is a revolutionary way of getting into space. Consisting of a ribbon extending from Earth to space that can be ascended by mechanical means, the space elevator could ferry satellites, spaceships, and pieces of space stations into space via electric lifts clamped to the ribbon. No rockets would be required. Ultimately, the space elevator could serve as a means for human space travel.
Once relegated to the realm of science fiction, the space elevator is now the subject of serious research by Seattle-based HighLift Systems, which has been given money by NASA to investigate the feasibility of designing and building such a system. With the discovery of carbon nanotubes and the ongoing development to implement them in a composite, HighLift Systems believes that building a space elevator will be viable in the coming years. In its initial report, the company has found that a space elevator capable of lifting 5-ton payloads every day to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars or Venus could be operational in 15 years. This first space elevator could be built for between $7-$10 billion, and would reduce lift costs immediately to $100 per kilogram, as compared to current launch costs, which are $10,000-$40,000 per kilogram, depending on destination and choice of rocket launch system. Additional and larger elevators, built utilizing the first one, would allow large-scale manned and commercial activities in space and reduce lift costs to possibly $10 per kilogram.
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