Once upon a time, Jeffrey Kaplan   said:   
   >Maybe we should just say "screw the launch vehicle concept" altogether   
   >and build an elevator.  Any materials scientists around to speculate on   
   >what to build it with?   
      
   Right now, it requires unobtanium.  Some speculate that one could be   
   built with strands of carbon nanotubes, but we can only make a few   
   millimeters.   
      
   Unfortunately, all the "quick trip to space" science fiction stories are   
   just that: fiction (and they will be for the foreseeable future).  There   
   are people working on the problems, but there's no sign of a magic   
   bullet or a great breakthrough happening in our lifetimes.  It isn't   
   just a matter of money (although more R&D spending would probably help),   
   some significant scientific breakthroughs (not just engineering a   
   solution with the science we know today) will have to happen.   
      
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   Chris Adams    
   Systems and Network Administrator - HiWAAY Internet Services   
   I don't speak for anybody but myself - that's enough trouble.   
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    * Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (1:14/400)