Space elevator wins $900,000 NASA prize

Mining & Minerals - Evaluations / Off-World Exploration, Mining, & Technology

Date posted: 01/30/14

A laser-powered robotic climber has won $900,000 in a competition designed to spur technology for a future elevator to space. Building a space elevator would require anchoring a cable on the ground near Earth equator and deploying the other end thousands of kilometers into space. The centrifugal force due to Earth spin would keep the cable taut so that a robot could climb it and release payloads into orbit. Though building a space elevator might require an initial investment of billions of dollars, proponents say once constructed, it would make for cheaper trips into space than is possible using rockets. But huge technological hurdles must first be overcome, including how to supply power to the robotic climber.