Going up? Kickstarter hopefuls raise space elevator cash
(Phys.org)—A Space Elevator Project has gone past its $8,000 goal on Kickstarter, although the group's ultimate goal is to raise a cooler $100,000 up to $3 million as the project achieves phase to phase progress. The company, LiftPort, has the idea for a space elevator that could take robots, cargo, and humans to the surface of the moon with a single launch rocket solution. The concept could become a reality in eight years. Michael Laine, CEO of the company, set as its first goal the draw of $8,000 to fund the early part of the project that will be placed on the moon, hopefully around the year 2020. Laine has been immersed in space elevator research for over ten years and is the president of the US Alumni Association for the International Space University.