Robot climber comes oh-so-close to prize

msnbc.com ^ | 10/23/06 | Alan Boyle

[KevinDavis]

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Two seconds.

That's how close students from the University of Saskatchewan and their international colleagues came to winning $150,000 in the Space Elevator Games, held here this weekend in conjunction with the Wirefly X Prize Cup rocket festival.

The competition, organized by the Spaceward Foundation under the auspices of NASA's Centennial Challenges, aims to promote technologies that could be used in next-generation power systems and planetary rovers — and perhaps someday in robots capable of climbing a 62,000-mile-long (100,000-kilometer-long) ribbon to orbit, known as a space elevator.

[KevinDavis]

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

I am trying to think of the name of the Science Fiction Novel about the space elevator.

[ClearCase_guy]

Arthur C. Clarke discussed these in The Fountains of Paradise back in 1978. Heinlein and Niven also used the concept way back.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Thank you.

[ThomasThomas]

We miss it by that much Chief.

[Eyes Unclouded]

I speak from experience when I say it is never a good feeling to come that close to winning a cash prize in a robotics event. OTOH at least they gain valuable experience and/or credits for their career... better luck next time gents!

[SunkenCiv]

Just an idea...