Space-Elevator Experiment to Launch Next Week for International Space Station

  A group of researchers at Shizuoka University and other institutions will be launching an experiment to the International Space Station to develop a "space elevator" that might one day connect Earth and a space station by cable.

  Developed by Shizuoka's Faculty of Engineering, the experiment contains two ultra-small satellites called cubesats that measure about 10 centimetres each side. After being deployed from the International Space Station (ISS), a 10-metre-long steel cable and motor will be used to move an elevator car between the two satellites. A camera will be attached to record the movements of the container in space.

  If this experiment is a success, this will be another step in the development of a fully operational space elevators. Should this technology be realized, this could severely reduce costs to transport supplies to the ISS. Travelling at speeds up to 200 kilometres per hour, a space elevator could transport materials like solar panels and research materials to the ISS eight days after departure from Earth.
   "In theory, a space elevator is highly plausible. Space travel may become something popular in the future," said Yoji Ishikawa who leads the research team.

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