Recently in Site Announcements Category

As many of you know I've been working on a new updated version of the Space Elevator Reference which I hope to launch this month. Today I'll provide a teaser screenshot of the developing home page of the new site.

The new site will provide the following services:

1. Collaborative Space Elevator Open Wiki
- Including Reference Documents and Research Papers
2. Collaborative Space Elevator Developer Wiki
3. Calendar of Events
4. Space Elevator Blogs and latest entries
5. Organizations Working on the Space Elevator
6. Image Galleries
7. Video Galleries

Since the new site is based on the Mindtouch DekiWiki platform it provides a great set of mashup tools and DekiScript scripting language allowing me to incorporate data from many sources. Some of the services provided may be done in collaboration with other sites and I am open to more partnerships.

A big thank you goes out to Kimball Clark of Eagle Gate College in Utah who contacted me with the idea of having his graphic design class create a new brand identity for the Space Elevator Reference.

The class submitted many great logos but the one below and which now graces this site was selected by myself and my business partner Keith Cowing. The logo selected was created by Joanne Chournos who is available for freelance work. If you need Joanne's services please contact me, her rates are very reasonable.

In other news the Space Elevator Reference will be changing it's format in the coming months. When I first started this site it was with the intent to collect and disseminate resources that would help the community in its goal in making the concept of a Space Elevator a reality.

SpaceRef Interactive Inc. the company that owns and operates this site today launched a new social space news and networking service called On Orbit.

For space elevator enthusiasts and professionals the service includes a Forum dedicated to the Space Elevator. Notable space elevator figures including but not limited to Spaceward's Ben Shelef and Brad Edwards will be contributing to the forum.

• Space Elevator Forum
• Spaceward Games 2008 Forum Topic

Our vision is for this website to be a keystone for the organization of the greater Space Elevator effort which is spread throughout the world. The journey of 100,000 km up the ribbon begins with just one step and now is the time be in action. Many of us have waiting for "something" to happen. Others have been working to make things happen with limited success. More and more it is clear to me that the fundamental reason to build the Space Elevator is to open up the high frontier so that the human race can use space to solve problems here on Earth. That vision is one that many individuals of varied backgrounds and motivations can align with and which will call them into action. So become involved and together we will make history!

The space elevator burst onto the scene a few short years ago and has gained a lot of attention. The media and our community have distributed vast amounts of information but not all of it is correct. This has created misconceptions of the concept and may damage the long-term viability of the program. Working with Marc and Bryan I hope that we can make Space Elevator Reference the source of accurate, objective information on the space elevator as well as a resource for those who want to learn more or directly be involved in the effort. We hope to place valuable, vetted information on this site and commentary on articles and information that appears elsewhere as well as your feedback. If you as an interested reader have questions on the elevator we hope you will come here for the answer. We also hope that as a resource we will be able to post major technical papers, review papers and aid in forming collaborations. To make this work we will need your help. We welcome comments and leads on breaking information and want to work with the community to make this the primary source for all things related to the space elevator. - Brad Edwards

I am very pleased to announce that the Space Elevator Reference has added two new distinguished editors, Dr. Bradley Edwards and Dr. Bryan Laubscher. Both are pioneers and visionaries and will offer their technical expertise and insight to our readers.

In the coming months you can expect to see many improvements to this reference site.

Marc Boucher
Editor, The Space Elevator Reference