In the last 40 years Space Travel has grown more and more distant and less important to most of the human race. “Yes, it’s a great idea” most investors would claim, “But it’s too expensive” and the dreams of people like me, who have been reading SF and fantasy since they were kids, were dashed on the rocks of reality by the true mother of invention, profit. However, despite the recent success of private enterprise in attaining orbits that, while not quite ‘in space’ are certainly landmarks on the way, the spectre of financial feasability has always been there, threatening to take it’s scythe to the whole concept of leaving the planet that we, as a race, are turning into a poisoned womb unliveable by any species. But recently, there was a flash of hope to combat the dream destroying reality of that huge sixty-two thousand mile gravity well we all live in, and it’s called the carbon nanotube. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/03/01/8370588/index.htm I am no physicist, but I do agree with the article’s assessment that the way they are talking about nanotubes could mean a beanstalk-style transit to orbit on par with anything Arthur C. Clarke could dream up, within the next 20 years. My 50th birthday party could be held in earth orbit! This could open up potential undreamt of for colonising other worlds, creating spacecraft that would never have to enter a gravity well, and all sorts of other ideas that until now were little more than the writings of creative futurists.
Well, it got me, I am excited 🙂