What we need is an individual, or group of individuals, to lift the world's gaze upwards. I believe that this is going to happen within the next 20-30 years. Today Bill Gates is worth around $50 Billion or so. He could create his own space program if he chose to do so. Just imagine how much the various "Bill Gates" of the future will be worth; $100, $200, $500 billion. Surely one of these economic titans will be a dreamer of the future. Someone who sees space as we do. It's only a matter of time before the economic means catches up and passes the challenge of space.

What would a $25 billion space elevator be to someone worth several hundred billion dollars?