Space elevator may be possible thanks to revolutionary new material

The idea of a space elevator to allow for quick and easy transport to a space base is not new, but we may be getting closer to it becoming a practical reality. That's because a new form of carbon ribbon that's ultra-flexible and super-strong could be just what is needed to construct the first working model.

A space elevator would be excellent, as it could get people out to a base or a relocated asteroid without using as much energy as a rocket. Once out of the atmosphere, they could catch a ship at an out-of-atmosphere airport to go to their final destination. The new material, created by a team at Cambridge University thanks to a grant from NASA, could stretch up to 18 miles in length from a single gram. Pretty exciting stuff.