I’ve mentioned carbon nanotubes in the past, and how they can ultimately lead us to the ability to build a space elevator. Progress was made recently on this front – again in vein of ‘small things that change the world,’ scientists have succeeded in spinning a 100 meter long carbon nanotube by means of a newly discovered manufacturing process. Though the nanotube is missing a number of characteristics that make the material useful, it’s still terrific incremental progress – prior to this no one had been able to manufacture one even remotely as long. It’s also amazing how quickly this science is evolving. I’ve been reading about the potential of space elevators since I was a kid in the ’70’s, but there’s been more progress towards them in the last 5 years than there had been in the preceding decades. Keep those fingers crossed, I may yet manage to get my ride into space 😉