Cosmic Elevators (1979)
The idea of a cosmic elevator first popped up in Clarke’s 1979 novel The Fountains of Paradise. It’s been replicated across science fiction many times since, including Kim Stanley Robinson’s (2012), Alistair Reynolds’ (2012), and Larry Niven’s (1999).
The notion of Clarke’s “orbital tower” was built on the premise that while it takes a lot of fuel to leave Earth’s atmosphere, once you’re in space, you don’t need much fuel to keep on keeping on.
The solution, then, would be to build a tower that stretches from the Earth’s equator to a geostationary satellite, reducing the cost of sending people and supplies into space.
And while a space elevator hasn’t been constructed just yet, in 2014, Google confirmed that it looked into building a real-life one. And in 2018, scientists from Shizuoka University announced they’re testing a miniaturized version – built to launch palm-sized satellites, not people – from the International Space Station.
What’s more, as reported by The Mainichi, Obayashi, the main contractor on that test, is currently exploring options for a full-sized version.
