Space elevator

Here is a neat article about a small step toward someday building a space elevator in order to more economically move people and materials to and from Earth orbit.

LiftPort Group Inc., of Bremerton, Wash., has successfully tested a robot climber — a novel piece of hardware that reeled itself up and down a lengthy ribbon dangling from a high-altitude balloon.

The test run, conducted earlier this week, is seen as a precursor experiment intended to flight validate equipment and methods to construct a space elevator. This visionary concept would make use of an ultra-strong carbon nanotube composite ribbon stretching up to 62,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) from Earth into space.

This really appeals to my geeky side!

[Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit.]