] "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."
]
] Edwards is not just some guy with an idea. He's head of
] the space elevator project at the Institute for
] Scientific Research in Fairmont, W.Va. NASA already has
] given it more than $500,000 to study the idea, and
] Congress has earmarked $2.5 million more.
]
] "A lot of people at NASA are excited about the idea,"
] said Robert Casanova, director of the NASA Institute of
] Advanced Concepts in Atlanta.
]
] Edwards believes a space elevator offers a cheaper, safer
] form of space travel that eventually could be used to
] carry explorers to the planets.
]
] Edwards' elevator would climb on a cable made of
] nanotubes - tiny bundles of carbon atoms many times
] stronger than steel. The cable would be about three feet
] wide and thinner than a piece of paper, but capable of
] supporting a payload up to 13 tons.

Scientist sees space elevator in 15 years