LiftPort Inc. Announces Support of the Space Elevator Concept By the National Space Society
LiftPort Inc.,
the space elevator company, today announced the support for the space
elevator concept by the National Space Society, one of the leading
grassroots space advocacy organizations.
A revolutionary means of traveling into space, the space elevator
concept has been the subject of research by the scientific community
for more than half a century. Through private research organizations
such as Eureka Scientific and HighLift Systems as well as NASA, the
initial research reports on building a space elevator have been
completed. As proposed in these reports, the space elevator will
consist of a carbon nanotube ribbon stretching some 62,000 miles from
earth to space. The elevator will be anchored to an offshore sea
platform near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, and to a small
counterweight in space. Mechanical lifters will move up and down the
ribbon, carrying such items as satellites, solar power systems and,
eventually, people into space.
According to NSS Executive Director Brian Chase, the
organization’s support of the space elevator concept will include
educating the public and policymakers on the space elevator and its
benefits. NSS recognizes the space elevator as one potential solution
to overcoming barriers to settling space as outlined in its “Roadmap
to Space Settlement.”
“While it is important to support current space transportation
systems, we believe it is also vital to examine and invest in
potential breakthrough technologies — technologies that may require a
high level of innovation and fundamental research, but have the
potential to dramatically change our concept of space transportation,”
said Chase. “One such potential breakthrough development is the space
elevator. If successful, it would revolutionize space travel. We look
forward to working with LiftPort to advance the space elevator
concept.”
Founded by space pioneer Wernher von Braun, the National Space
Society (NSS) is one of the preeminent nonprofit organizations
dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. Its key
activities include educating and raising awareness among policymakers
on the benefits of the exploration, development, and settlement of
space. LiftPort Inc. is a privately held company dedicated to the
commercial development of the first elevator to space. The company is
headed by Michael Laine, the president and co-founder of HighLift
Systems, the Seattle-based research company that extended the work of
NASA’s Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) in investigating the
building of an elevator to space.
LiftPort Inc. is located at 245 4th Street, Suite 508, Bremerton,
Wash. 98337. More information can be obtained at the company’s web
site at www.liftport.com. The National Space Society is headquartered
at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E. Suite 201 Washington, DC 20003. For
more information on the NSS, please go to the organization’s web site
at www.nss.org.
