Space Elevator in 15 Years
Edwards thinks an initial version could be operating in 15 years, a year earlier than Bush's 2020 timetable for a return to the moon. He pegs the cost at $10 billion, a pittance compared with other space endeavors.
"It's not new physics — nothing new has to be discovered, nothing new has to be invented from scratch," he says. "If there are delays in budget or delays in whatever, it could stretch, but 15 years is a realistic estimate for when we could have one up."
Space Elevator
Who woulda thunk it. An idea that didn't exist when I was first reading scifi may be a reality before we return to the moon or set foot on Mars and for a lousy $10 bil.