] At the heart of a space elevator would be a cable
] reaching up as far as 100,000km from the surface of the
] Earth. The earthbound end would be tethered to a base
] station, probably somewhere in the middle of the Pacific
] ocean. The other end would be attached to an orbiting
] object in space acting as a counterweight, the momentum
] of which would keep the cable taut and allow vehicles to
] climb up and down it.
]
] A space elevator would make rockets redundant by granting
] cheaper access to space. At about a third of the way
] along the cable -- 36,000km from Earth -- objects take a
] year to complete a full orbit.
]
] If the cable's center of gravity remained at this height,
] the cable would remain vertical, as satellites placed at
] this height are geostationary, effectively hovering over
] the same spot on the ground.
]
] To build a space elevator, such a geostationary satellite
] would be placed into orbit carrying the coiled-up cable.
]
] One weighted end of the cable would then be dropped back
] towards Earth, while the other would be unreeled off into
] space.
]
] Mechanical lifters could then climb up the cable from the
] ground, ferrying up satellites, space probes and
] eventually tourists.

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