Going up?

I'm no scientist, as anyone who's read my science fiction works can tell you.  But this is too cool not to link to: space elevators aren't as far off as you might have thought. Take a look.

Comments

[Randy Johnson]

I remember when The Fountains of Paradise first came out. Charles Sheffield had one with the same theme, The Web Between The Worlds I believe, about the same time. A mini-controversy broke out that he'd ripped Sir Arthur off, an idea Clarke quickly debunked.

I enjoyed both novels and, although the word spider was used on a similar piece of equipment in both, the novels weren't that much alike.

I've never understood why some people think because they come up with an idea, someone else can't have something similar at the same moment. I guess they think if one gets an idea, somehow it's locked out of everyone else's conscious.

[Jeff Mariotte]

Happens all the time in science--Bell and another guy coming up with telephone technology at the same time.  An ancestor of mine, Edme Mariotte, came up with "Boyle's Law" around the same time that Boyle did, but only Boyle got the continuing credit.