The Space Elevator, Space Launch Loop, Space Fountain,

and Mass Driver in Science Fiction

Robert G. Williscroft, PhD
Retired Submarine Officer, Novelist, Centennial, Colorado, 80122, [email protected]

We all want the same thing: to get from down here to up there, with sufficient velocity to
remain up there. A light-hearted review of some of the non-rocket options, along with a look
at how these machines have been depicted in science fiction. Accompanies the launch of the
new science fiction novel, Slingshot, telling the story of the construction of the Worlds first
Space Launch Loop.

I. Introduction

E all want the same thing: to get from down here to up there, with sufficient velocity to remain up there. With
a couple of early exceptions, Jules Vernes 1865 space canon in From the Earth to the Moon1 and John
Munros 1897 electric gun in A Trip to Venus2, the traditional method we have been employing since the late 1950s
is the rocket. Robert Heinleins D.D. Harriman had the right idea in The Man Who Sold the Moon3, but before such a
private plan could be put into operation, the Kennedy Apollo program was initiated, a plan that put us on the Moon,
and then never went back, a plan that built the International Space Station, and then lost the ability to go there.

Figure 1. Jules
Figure 2. Jules
Figure 3. Robert
Vernes Moon
Vernes Cannon.
Heinleins Man Who
Capsule.
Sold the Moon.
Fortunately, men of vision have carried forward the idea that off-world travel can be a profitable enterprise
money can be made out there, lots of it. One approach that has been fairly successful during the last few years is to
do what NASA did, what the government did, but do it
better, more efficiently in other words, cheaper. We
all have cheered on the modern rocketeers. Those of us
in this room, however, know that there is a better way.
In the Sep/Oct 1975 issue of Acta Astronautica4,
Jerome Pearson presented the world with the space
elevator, the astonishing idea that you dont need a
rocket to get to space. Shortly following this
publication, Arthur C. Clarke contacted Pearson to get
technical background for the Hugo and Nebula award
winning novel he was to publish about three years
later, Fountains of Paradise5, a tale about the Figure 4. Space elevator envisioned by Kenn Brown of
construction of a space elevator.
Mondolithic Studios.

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About two years after Pearson published his Acta Astronautica paper, Keith Lofstrom came up with the concept
of a space launch loop. He published his findings in American Astronautical Society News6. At about the same time,
Paul Birch published his concept of orbital rings in the Journal of the British
Interplanetary Society7. From 1982 to 1983 I spent a year at the Geographic South
Pole supervising National Science Foundation atmospheric research. Nine months of
that year was in isolation, cut off from the rest of the world. Just before we went into
isolation, I received a copy of Birchs JBIS paper and a partial copy of Lofstroms
AAS paper. I had read Clarkes Fountains of Paradise4, and was fascinated by the
space elevator concept. I mourned the lack of suitable materials to construct a space
elevator. On the other hand, a space launch loop could be built with current materials,
and it was easy to understand Lofstroms water-hose analogy for the space launch
loop. I was fascinated by how it
was possible to reduce the
orbital span of Birchs orbital
ring to get a space launch loop.
Figure 5. Paul Birchs
The space launch loop added
orbital rings.
a new twist for getting into
space that nobody in the science fiction field had exploited to
that point. I was a budding novelist back then, and decided to
write the first novel about space launch loops. When I came
out of the South Polar isolation, I wrote Lofstrom, informing
him of my idea to write a novel about building the worlds first
space launch loop. Unfortunately, life intervened, and I had to
wait until 1996 before Lofstrom and I met in Philadelphia, and Figure 6. Keith Lofstroms Space Launch
I received the technical basis I needed to write Slingshot8. Loop.
Between then and now, I published a current affairs book, The Chicken Little Agenda Debunking Experts Lies9,
a childrens book in cooperation with Frank Drake (of SETI fame), Starman Jones A Relativity Birthday Present10,
a novel about my submarine espionage experiences during the Cold War, Operation Ivy Bells11, and a hard science
fiction novel that employed space launch loops, The Starchild Compact12. Finally, this year, here at the International
Space Elevator Conference, Slingshot8, conceived back in 1982, will be available for you and my readers
everywhere.
In the meantime, other science fiction authors have used the entire gamut of non-rocket access to space. In the
remaining time available to me for this presentation, I will tell you a bit about how science fiction authors have
employed these devices, these incredible machines.

II. The Early Approaches

I already mentioned Jules Verne1 in my introductory remarks, although some of you might argue that his space
cannon is more like a rocket than anything else. Perhaps so, but he was not even close to being the first writer to
look at the stars and write about going there.
Arguably, the idea of building a tower into the heavens started with Nimrod
and the Tower of Babel13&14 sometime between 3,500 and 3,000 BCE. It
appears again about 1,950 BCE, as related in Genesis 2815, and studies of
Jewish mysticism and gnosticism16, when Joseph, the grandson of Abraham,
dreamed of a ladder to heaven
outside of Bethel. That was it for a
long time.
The English fairy tale Jack and
the Beanstalk could be thought of as
a story about a space elevator. The
earliest known appearance in print is
Benjamin
Tabarts
moralized
version of 180717. Henry Cole
Figure 7. Turris Babel by
popularized it in The Home Figure 8. Jacobs Ladder by
Athanasius Kircher.
Treasury18 in 1842, and Joseph Vladimir Bibikov.
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Jacobs rewrote it in English Fairy Tales19 in 1890. Jacobs version is most commonly reprinted today20. Then, in
1895 Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, wrote in Speculations of Earth
and Sky, and On Vesta21 about putting a celestial castle at the end of a spindle-shaped cable, with the castle
orbiting the Earth in a geosynchronous orbit. As mentioned earlier, in his 1897 novel, A Trip to Venus2, John Munro
proposed using an electric gun, basically a mass driver, to
leave Earths gravity well. In 1960 another Russian scientist,
Yuri N. Artsutanov22, proposed using a geosynchronous
satellite as the base from which to build the tower. By using a
counterweight, the cable would be lowered from
geosynchronous orbit to the surface of the Earth, while the
counterweight was extended from the satellite away from the
Earth. In 1962 Brian Aldiss wrote Hothouse23, that envisioned
a gravitationally locked Earth with one side always facing the
sun, like the Moon with the Earth. In this strange world, giant
spider-like plants stretch their webs between the Earth and
Moon, which now has an atmosphere. Was Aldiss inspired by
Artsutanov? I havent asked him, but suspect that he may
have been. Seven years later American physicist Jerome
Figure 9. The Tsiolkovsky Tower.
Pearson actually designed a tapered cross-section that would
be better-suited to building the tower than Artsutanovs concept. His analysis included disturbances such as the
gravitation of the Moon, wind, and payloads moving up and down the cable. The weight of the material needed to
build the tower would have required 24,000 Space Shuttle trips. As stated earlier, Pearson published his findings in
the Sep/Oct 1975 issue of Acta Astronautica3.
With Pearsons firm scientific and engineering basis, science fiction authors began to experiment with the idea in
earnest.

III. Three Major Approaches Modern Science Fiction Authors have Used
Science fiction novels dealing with space elevators, space launch
loops, orbital rings, and other variations approach the matter from one
of three perspectives. The original space elevator novel, Clarkes
Fountains of Paradise4, and the most recent novel, my Slingshot8, are
built around the construction of the space elevator and space launch
loop respectively. This defines one of the three groups. The second
consists of novels and stories where the space elevator plays a
significant role in the story. The last group consists of novels and
stories where space elevators are a ubiquitous part of the canvas upon
which the story plays, but they play no role other than being present,
and they are used where appropriate.24
Figure 10. Arthur
C. Clarkes
Fountains of
Paradise.

Figure 12. Arthur

C. Clarkes 2061
Odyssey Three.

A. Six novels about constructing space elevators and space

launch loops.
With the current state of technology, space elevators and space launch
loops have a major distinction other than their obvious physical differences.
Space elevator cables use the much-debated unobtainium to give them the
necessary strength, whereas space launch loops use currently available
materials and technology. With that in mind, six novels address the
construction issue. Three, Fountains of Paradise4, The Web Between the
Worlds, and Jack and the Skyhook, wave their hands and build the space
elevator with one form or the other of unobtainium, with Jack and the
Skyhook using perhaps the most unusual variation of this material beans
that grow into a working skyhook. In 2061: Odyssey Three, Arthur Clarke
postulated that Jupiter has a solid diamond core, and that this material
becomes available for constructing a solid elevator. William Forstchen
builds his novel on the presumably successful work of the ISEC the
International Space Elevator Consortium. Pillar to the Sky applies
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Figure 11. Charles

Sheffields Web
Between the Worlds.

Figure 13. Damien

Brodericks Jack
and the Skyhook.

reasonable projections to complete the story the ISEC is undertaking right

now. Only one novel uses todays technology, materials available today,
and current computer capability to build a working space launch loop
Slingshot8, being introduced here today.
The whole world currently launches 400 metric tons to orbit per
year. Launch loops will be assembly lines to launch megatons of
payload. The small space launch loop in Slingshot can launch 2,000
5-metric ton payloads to orbit per day. Thats 10,000 metric tons per
day twenty-five times as much in one day as we currently launch
each year. The only things holding up the construction of a space
Figure 14. William launch loop right now are completing required engineering studies
and waiting for the Worlds launch requirements to catch up with Figure 15. Robert
Forstchens Pillar
Williscrofts
Slingshots capability, in other words, its economic feasibility.
to the Sky.
Slingshot.
Here are the details of these six novels listed by publication date:
nd
Fountains of Paradise, Arthur C. Clarke, 1979 The story of 22 century structural engineer Dr Vannevar
Morgan, who builds a space elevator from geosynchronous orbit to a mountain top on the mythical equatorial
island Taprobane in the Indian Ocean. He overcomes the opposition of an ancient order of Buddhist monks
and his own employers reluctance to complete the project.
The Web Between the Worlds, Charles Sheffield, 1980 Construction of the first space elevator called a
Beanstalk. Published just two weeks following Clarkes Fountains of Paradise. Clarke graciously wrote an
open letter to the Science Fiction Writers of America stating that coincidence, not plagiarism, lay behind the
fact that the two books had such strikingly similar themes. Besides the space elevator, each book had as its
main character the worlds leading bridge-builder, and each employed a device known as a Spider.
2061: Odyssey Three, Arthur C. Clarke, 1987 The possibility of a space elevator is realized after a
groundbreaking discovery that Jupiters core (now in fragments around the orbit of Lucifer, the small sun
formed by the implosion of Jupiter) had been a solid diamond; as the hardest substance in nature, suddenly
available in vast quantities, it facilitates the construction of a solid elevator rather than the more common
tether structure previously envisaged.
Jack and the Skyhook, Damien Broderick, 2003 Designed to appeal to young boys. Jack is an interstellar space
cadet who exchanges his cow for a handful of beans that become a skyhook.
Pillar to the Sky, William R. Forstchen, 2014 Epic tale of the construction of the first space elevator. This novel
is the result of a collaboration between NASA and TOR Books to produce a realistic story about constructing
a space elevator in the near future. Two married scientists at Goddard Space Center are working on space
elevator development, but lose their congressional funding. They find a private funding source and proceed to
make their project a reality.
Slingshot, Robert G. Williscroft, 2015 (The first book in The Starchild Series) Slingshot is about constructing
the first space launch loop stretching 2,000 km between Baker and Jarvis Islands in the Equatorial Pacific.
Slingshot takes the reader from Seattles world financial district, to the ocean bottom at 5,000 feet off Baker
Island, to the edge of space 80 km above. The story is about the triumph of achieving the impossible and the
heartbreak caused by sabotage and death.

Figure 16. Kim

Stanley Robinsons
Red Mars.

B. Twenty-eight novels and three short stories where space

elevators and mass accelerators are central to the plot.
In the following thirty-one tales, space elevators and mass drivers
play a central role in the plot. Each story is different, but each uses
the space elevator or mass driver as a central element in the same
way as other hard science fiction novels use space ships. They are
more than background color. With the protagonists, they participate
in the story. For example, in Red Mars, Robinson places a space
elevator on Mars that is brought down by terrorists. In The Songs of
Distant Earth, Clarke uses space elevators to haul huge chunks of ice
from a planets surface to an orbiting starship. Every story in
Figure 17. Arthur
Running the Line Stories of the Space Elevator is about space
C. Clarkes Songs
elevators, how they are used, and the distinctive roles they play.
of Distant Earth.

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Here are the details of these twenty-eight novels and three short stories listed by
publication date:
Tour of the Universe, Robert Holdstock and Malcolm Edwards, 1980 In 2577, the
protagonists win a prize of a tour of the universe. Includes a space elevator rising from
Ecuador to an orbiting space station.
Sundiver, David Brin, 1980 A tale of intelligent creatures inhabiting the Sun. The story
begins with the main character losing his sweetheart when a space elevator crashes.
The Descent of Anansi, Steven Barnes and Larry Niven, 1981, 1982, 1991 A space
station-manufacturing facility attempts to become commercially independent from its
Government backers by exporting super-strong nanowire that can only be manufactured in
free-fall. The physics of tidal forces and the possibilities of orbital tethers to accelerate
Figure 18. Running payloads into higher orbits are woven into the story.
the Line Stories of The Songs of Distant Earth, Arthur C. Clarke, 1986 A saga spanning eons. Space
the Space Elevator,
elevators are employed in the form of cables drawing huge chunks of ice from a planetary
edited by Brad
surface to a starship.
Edwards and David Second Star, Dana Stabenow, 1991 A mass driver located at a lunar base is used to
Raitt.
launch construction materials and other cargo to the first space habitat, in tandem with a
mass catcher. The use of both is involved in leading to a key plot turn.
Flare, Roger Zelazny and Thomas Thurston Thomas, 1992 A mass driver located inside Mount Whitney in the
US is used to launch small payloads into near-earth orbit. The facility suffers major damage during a solar
flare when the operator ignores warnings and distortions in the earths magnetic field cause a payload capsule
to hit the exit gate. The driver is described as 11 km long and using capacitor banks to deliver a two-second
pulse of 18 MWh of energy.
The Mars Trilogy, Kim Stanley Robinson, Red Mars, 1993, Green Mars, 1995, Blue Mars, 1995 Mars in three
terraforming phases, Red, Green, and Blue. A geopolitical, multigenerational saga ranging from the initial
Mars landings to its full development as a living planet, home to tens of millions of people. A large Martian
space elevator plays a significant role, and space elevators are also used on Earth.
Foreigner, Robert J. Sawyer, 1994 (final book of the Quintaglio Ascension Trilogy) A space elevator built by
(human) aliens plays a significant role in this story from the perspective of another race.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Robert A. Heinlein, 1997 Rebelling lunar colonists use a kilometers-long mass
driver system that normally delivers grain to Earth instead to deliver metal-clad rocks as an orbital
bombardment system.
3001: The Final Odyssey, Arthur C. Clarke, 1997 In this novel, a ring habitat now exists around the Earth that
is connected to the surface via four inhabitable towers assumed successors to space elevators.
The Science of Discworld, Terry Pratchett, Jack Cohen, and Ian Stewart, 1999 A combination of fable, science,
and good story telling where Roundworld humanity escapes to the stars via a space elevator.
Sunstorm, Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter, 2006 The Firstborn, the first sentient race in the universe, set
things up to prevent Earths inhabitants from moving to the stars by arranging for a huge solar storm that will
obliterate life on Earth. Humans build a large shield umbrella to protect the Earth a technology similar to a
space elevator.
Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, Eric Nylund, 2006 (a military science fiction novel based on the Halo series of video
games) Features the UNSC Centennial Orbital Elevator in Havana, Cuba.
Mercury, Ben Bova, 2006 Takes place primarily on Mercury. The sabotage of a space elevator plays a
significant role in this story of revenge.
Running the Line Stories of the Space Elevator, edited by Brad Edwards and David Raitt, 2006 The book is a
result of the 2nd Clarke-Bradbury International Science Fiction Competition organized by David Raitt of the
European Space Agencys Technology Transfer and Promotion Office with the theme of space elevators. The
competition generated 109 stories and images submitted from twenty-nine different countries. The book
contains thirty-five stories (including the winner and runner up) plus three images.
Pushing Ice, Alastair Reynolds, 2007 The crew of the spaceship Rockhopper use mass drivers to send comets
back to earth for processing into water and other resources.
Extras, Scott Westerfeld, 2007 The main character and a group of friends find a mass driver hidden inside of a
mountain, built for the purpose of launching metal into orbit to be used in creating infrastructure for the
human colonization of other planets.
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Starclimber, Kenneth Oppel, 2008 A young persons adventure taking place in a Victorian age dominated by
airships and a space elevator that plays a central role in the story. Unfortunately, Oppel completely ignores
the laws of physics, so that this story is not serious science fiction.
Singularitys Ring, Paul Melko, 2008 90% of Earths population moved to an orbital ring, formed a group mind,
and vanished. The remaining ten percent genetically engineer their children to form pods that function as one
entity. The pods compete to captain a starship that will search for the lost earth population. Space elevators
along with the orbital ring play a ubiquitous role in the story infrastructure.
The Mirrored Heavens, David J. Williams, 2008 following a second Cold War, Eurasia and America construct
a space elevator. The space elevator is destroyed by terrorists before it becomes operational. The story
follows the search for the terrorists.
Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of London, Keith Mansfield, 2009 The main character and his sister Clara
depart Earth in a secret space elevator designed to look like a downtown London building.
The Last Theorem, Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl, 2009 About a young Sri Lankan mathematician who
finds a short proof of Fermats Last Theorem, while an alien invasion of Earth is in progress. Uses the space
elevator first developed in Fountains of Paradise, but moved directly to Shri Lanka in this novel.
Metaplanetary, Tony Daniel, 2009 Interplanetary civil war rages between human who enslave artificial metabeings and those who wish to free them. Living space elevators play a significant role in the story.
Superluminal, Tony Daniel, 2009 the interplanetary civil war of Metaplanetary continues, where the bad guys
have developed superluminal transport. Living space elevators play a significant role in the story.
Lighthouse in Cryptic: The Best Short Fiction of Jack McDevitt, McDevitt, Jack & Michael Shara, 2009
Fascinating story of a future astronomical discovery using new kinds of telescopes in space and a space
elevator to get to them.
The Highest Frontier, Joan Slonczewski, 2011 A college student rides to an orbital college on a space elevator
constructed of self-healing cables of anthrax bacilli. The engineered bacteria can regrow the cables when
severed by space debris.
2312, Kim Stanley Robinson, 2011 Thirty-seven space elevators connect Earths surface to orbit. Earth is no
longer humanitys only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets,
and in between. In 2312, a sequence of events forces humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future.
Between ePhemerin Skyads: a short story of a post-apocalypse space elevator, Michael Carychao, 2013 - A
routine commute up the space elevator turns into a desperate struggle and a stunning revelation.
Failure Cascade in Selected Short Stories Featuring New Corpse Smell, Nicolas Wilson, 2013 - A failure cascade is what
happens when a space elevators nanotubes snap and fire off diamond shrapnel faster than rifle rounds.
Limit, Frank Schtzing, 2013 (First published in German in 2009) A space elevator is used to transport nuclear
fuel between Moon and Earth.
The Dire Earth Cycle The Darwin Elevator, Jason M. Hough, 2013 (1st book of a science fiction trilogy)
Based on a future post-apocalyptic 23rd century Earth. An alien space vessel constructs the cord of a space
elevator anchored on Darwin, Australia, and eventually establishing orbital colonies along the elevator cord.
The trilogy is centered around the elevators and their effect on post-apocalyptic humanity.

Figure 19. Robert

Heinleins Friday.

C. Sixteen stories where space elevators and space launch loops

are part of the background, but play no central role.
In the following sixteen tales, space elevators are part of the story
background. Like streetlights, they are present and sometimes become
important for a scene, but generally, they are part of the canvas against
which the story plays out. For the most part, these stories assume that
space elevators (or space launch loops) are how a spacefaring
civilization gets into space. For example, in Heinleins Friday, his main
character steps off the Kenya Beanstalk. No big deal its just how it is.
In Jumping Off the Planet, David Gerrolds characters get into space via
Figure 20. David
space elevators to carry out the plot. In The Starchild Compact, my
Gerrolds Jumping
characters get to the L-4 complex using the Slingshot space launch
Off the Planet.
loop, a routine operation akin to flying to London.

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Here are the details of these fifteen novels and one short story listed by publication date:
Blakes 7: Archangel, Scott Harrison, 1981 BBC Television series and book. While in a
hologram simulation of an alien city called Teshak City, a character spots the bottom of a space
elevator connected to a promontory of rock further down the river.
Strata, Terry Pratchett, 1981 A precursor to Pratcherts Diskworld series. The premise is an
artificially created flat world with strata that hold fossils appropriately created to indicate an age
very much longer than the actual age. Space elevators are part of the infrastructure.
Friday, Robert A. Heinlein, 1983 In a balkanized U.S., a cloned female secret agent, Friday, is
looking for the meaning of her life. A Beanstalk is a ubiquitous part of the story infrastructure,
but plays no significant role.
Across the Sea of Suns, Gregory Benford, 1984 A very complex hard science fiction novel
where space elevators are part of the infrastructure. Describing this story in a couple of
sentences is impossible. It is Hard SF, with the emphasis on Hard. Its scope is epic, both
Figure 21. Robert
physically and scientifically.
Williscrofts
Feersum Endjinn, Iain M. Banks, 1995 In a world where people live multiple lives, the protagonist
Starchild Compact.
has survived seven times and is down to his last, leaving him one final shot at finding his killer. His
only clues point to a conspiracy that reaches far beyond his own murder, and survival lies in discovering other
fugitives who know the truth about the ultimate weapon of chaos and salvation. A space elevator is part of the story
infrastructure, but plays no significant role.
Drakon, S. M. Stirling, 1996 A detective story where a female from an alternative universe ends up on Earth and
becomes a fugitive who is hunted down by a detective and his love interest. A Beanstalk is part of the story
infrastructure, but plays no significant role.
Rainbow Mars, Larry Niven, 1999 A mixture of science fiction and Fantasy stories with space elevators as part
of the infrastructure. The Temporal Research Institute retrieves Earth beasts that went extinct due to excess
pollution. It turns out that the retrievals are from alternate universes.
Deepsix, Jack McDevitt, 2001 The remains of a space elevator are found on a planet about to be obliterated by a
rogue moon.
Jumping Off the Planet, David Gerrold, 2001 A juvenile novel in which space elevators are part of the
infrastructure. Brothers divorce their parent and then become targets of an interstellar manhunt.
Old Mans War, John Scalzi, 2007 A space elevator is part of the story infrastructure, but plays no significant
role. The story is about reincarnation, where deceased old-timers are brought back to life as futuristic soldiers
with enhanced abilities.
The Night Sessions, Ken MacLeod, 2008 A mysterious killer out of the past is killing believers and nonbelievers alike in a world that has marginalized religion. A space elevator is part of the story infrastructure, but
plays no significant role.
The Nights Dawn Trilogy, Peter F. Hamilton, 2008 A sprawling narrative dealing with a far future where
humanity wages war against past souls flooding back into the land of the living via possession. Space elevators
are part of the story infrastructure, playing ubiquitous roles throughout the stories.
Marsbound, Joe Haldeman, 2009 A juvenile tale of Mars with a space elevator as part of the infrastructure.
Young Carmen Dula and her family travel to Mars. Carmens rebellious streak leads her to venture out into the
bleak Mars landscape alone, where she is saved by an angel with too many arms and legs, a head that looks
like a potato gone bad, and a message for the humans on Mars: We were here first.
Into the Fire, Alastair Mayer, 2010 (Short Story) The first adventure of Jason Curtis and his ship, the Starfire. In
a not-too-distant future where small starships are as common as private jets, a skilled but impulsive pilot
discovers that its often easier to get himself into trouble than it to get out of it, and that sometimes the only
way out of the frying pan is . . . into the fire. Curtis departs on his adventure from the Mars Beanstalk.
The Long Mars, Stephen Baxter and Terry Pratchett, 2014 A parallel Martian world with a long-gone
civilization that used space elevators.
The Starchild Compact, Robert G. Williscroft, 2014 (The second book in The Starchild Series) An international
exploration team voyages to Saturns moon, Iapetus which may be an artifact. While underway they deal
with a Jihadist stowaway, and upon arrival determine that Iapetus is a derelict starship. They meet with the
Founders, descendants of the starship builders. Their revelations impact the entire Solar System with
momentous implications going backward and forward in time, paving the way for a joint push to the distant
reaches of the Galaxy. Space launch loops play a ubiquitous background role in the story.

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IV. Conclusion
We have come together this weekend to examine the current status of the space elevator, and by correlation, the
analogous methods of getting into space without using rockets. Thats pretty serious stuff. Im here to bring a bit of
light-heartedness to this conference, to help us focus on why we are investigating alternate means of getting into
space, what the dream is, and what the future may hold and, of course, Im also here to sell you my book that puts
this vision into real-world context for the space launch loop.

References
1

Verne, Jules, From the Earth to the Moon, Bantam Classics, New York, 1993, ISBN 978-0553214208
Munro, John, A Trip to Venus, Jarrold and Sons, London, 1897, ASIN B009ED3BHI
3
Heinlein, Robert A., The Man Who Sold the Moon, Baen, Wake Forest, NC, , 2000, ISBN 9780671578633
4
Pearson, Jerome, The orbital tower: A spacecraft launcher using the Earths rotational energy, Acta Astronautica,
Vol. 2, No. 9-10, 1975, pp. 785-799
5
Clark, Arthur C., Fountains of Paradise, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1979, ISBN 9780151327737
6
Lofstrom, Keith, American Astronautical Society News,
7
Birch, Paul, Orbital. Ring Systems and Jacobs Ladders, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, Vol 35,
1982, pp. 475-497
8
Williscroft, Robert G., Slingshot, Starman Press, Carson City, NV, 2015, ISBN 978-0996466905
9
Williscroft, Robert G., The Chicken Little Agenda Debunking Experts Lies, Pelican Publishing, Gretna, LA,
2006, ISBN 9781589803527
10
Williscroft, Robert G., Starman Jones A Relativity Birthday Present, Starman Press, Carson City, NV, 2008,
ISBN 9780982166215
11
Williscroft, Robert G., Operation Ivy Bells, Starman Press, Carson City, NV, 2014, ISBN 9780982166260
12
Williscroft, Robert G., The Starchild Compact, Starman Press, Carson City, NV, 2014, ISBN 9780982166253
13
The Bible, Genesis Ch. 11
14
Asimov, Isaac, Asimovs Guide to the Bible, Vol. 1, The Old Testament, Avon Books, New York, 1971, pp. 54
55. ISBN 9780380010325.
15
The Bible, Genesis Ch. 28
16
Verman, Mark, Reincarnation in Jewish Mysticism and Gnosticism (review), Shofar: An Interdisciplinary
Journal of Jewish Studies, Vol. 24, No 1, pp. 173175
17
Tabart, Benjamin, The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk, The Lion and the Unicorn 30.1 (January 2006:124).
18
Cole, Henry, The Home Treasury, Chapman and Hall, London, 1847, ASIN B0008C2N4Q
19
Jacobs, Joseph, English Fairy Tales, newly issued by CreateSpace, Amazon, 2012
20
Tatar, Maria, The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales, W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 2002, ISBN
9780393051636
21
Tsiolkovski, Konstantin E., Grezy O Zemle I Nebe [i] Na Veste (Speculations of Earth and Sky, and On Vesta,
science fiction works, 1895). Moscow, lzd-vo AN SSR, 1959.
22
Artsutanov, Yuri, V Kosmos na Elektrovoze, Komosomolskaya Pravda, Moscow, 31 July 1960. (The contents
are described in English by Lvov in Science, Vol. 158, pp. 946-7, 1967.)
23
Aldiss, Brian, Hothouse, Faber and Faber, London, 1962, OCLC Work ID: 2778305, Penguin, London, 2008,
ISBN: 9780141189550
24
Following are the science fiction works referenced in Section III, listed alphabetically by authors surname:
Banks, Iain M., Feersum Endjinn, Spectra, New York, 1995, ISBN 9780553374599
Barnes, Steven and Larry Niven, The Descent of Anansi, 1982, Davis (Crosstown Publications, Norwalk, CT)
(Analog Science Fiction & Fact), 1982, ASIN B00AQ71UIS, by Pinnacle Books, Inc., New York, 1982,
ISBN 9780523485423, and by San Val, Steelville, MO, 1991, ISBN 978078577 3740
Baxter, Stephen and Terry Pratchett, The Long Mars, Harper, New York, 2014, ISBN 9780062297303
Benford, Gregory, Across the Sea of Suns Simon & Schuster, New York, 1984, ISBN 9780671446680
Bova, Ben, Mercury, Tor Science Fiction, New York, 2006, ISBN 978-0765343147
Brin, David, Sundiver, Bantam Books, New York, 1980, ISBN 9780553133127
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Broderick, Damien, Jack and the Skyhook, Word Weavers Press Pty, Bulimba, Australia, 2003, ISBN
9781877073113
Carychao, Michael, Between ePhemerin Skyads: a short story of a post-apocalypse space elevator, Amazon
Digital Services, 2013, ASIN B00FV2ZEJ4
Clarke, Arthur C., Fountains of Paradise, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1979, ISBN 9780151327737
Clarke, Arthur C., The Songs of Distant Earth, Ballantine Del Rey, New York, 1986, ISBN
Clarke, Arthur C., 2061: Odyssey Three, Del Rey, New York, 1987, ISBN 9780345351739
Clarke, Arthur C., 3001: The Final Odyssey, Del Rey Books, New York, 1997, ISBN 9780345315229
Clarke, Arthur C. and Stephen Baxter, Sunstorm, Del Rey, New York, 2006, ISBN 9780345452511
Clarke, Arthur C. and Frederik Pohl, The Last Theorem, Del Rey, New York, 2009, ISBN 9780345470232
Daniel, Tony, Metaplanetary, HarperCollins e-books, New York, 2009, ISBN 0061020257
Daniel, Tony, Superluminal, HarperCollins e-books, New York, 2009 ASIN B000FCK4JA
Edwards, Brad and David Raitt, Editors, Running the Line - Stories of the Space Elevator, Lulu, Raleigh, NC,
2006, ASIN 0974651729
Forstchen, William R., Pillar to the Sky, TOR Books, New York, 2014, ISBN 9780765334381
Gerrold, David, Jumping Off the Planet, TOR Science Fiction, New York2001, ISBN 978-0812576085
Haldeman, Joe, Marsbound, Ace, New York, 2009, ISBN 9780441017393
Hamilton, Peter F., The Nights Dawn Trilogy, Orbit, London, 2008, ISBN 9780316021807.
Harrison, Scott, Blakes 7: Archangel, 1981, BBC Television series. Released in book form by Big Finish,
Berkshire, UK, 2012, ASIN B00AO76Z1M
Heinlein, Robert A., Friday, Del Rey, New York, 1983, ISBN 9780345309884
Heinlein, Robert A., The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Orb Books, New York, 1997, ISBN 978031286355
Holdstock, Robert and Malcolm Edwards, Tour of the Universe, Mayflower Books, London, 1980, ISBN
9780831787981
Hough, Jason M., The Dire Earth Cycle The Darwin Elevator, Titan Books, London, 2013, ISBN
9781781167632
MacLeod, Ken, The Night Sessions, Pyr, Amherst, NY, 2008, ISBN 9781616146139
Mansfield, Keith, Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of London, Quercus, London, 2009, ASIN: B00EKYI4IM
Mayer, Alastair, Into the Fire (Short Story), AM Publishing, 2010, ASIN B00427YPVC
McDevitt, Jack, Deepsix, Harper Voyager, 2001, ISBN 9780061051241
McDevitt, Jack & Michael Shara, Lighthouse jn Cryptic: The Best Short Fiction of Jack McDevitt, Subterranean
Press, Burton, MI, 2009, ISBN 9781596061958
Melko, Paul, Singularitys Ring, TOR Books, New York, 2008, ISBN 978-0765317773
Niven, Larry, Rainbow Mars, TOR Books, New York, 1999, ISBN 978-0312867775
Nylund, Eric, Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, TOR Books, New York, 2006, ISBN 9780765315687
Oppel, Kenneth, Starclimber, HarperCollins, New York, 2008, ISBN 978-0060850593, 400 pgs
Pratchett, Terry, Jack Cohen, and Ian Stewart, The Science of Discworld, Anchor, New York, 1999, ISBN
9780804168946
Pratchett, Terry, Strata, Corgi, London, 1981, ISBN 9780552133258
Reynolds, Alastair, Pushing Ice, Ace, New York, 2007, ISBN 9780575083110
Robinson, Kim Stanley, The Mars Trilogy, Red Mars, Spectra, New York, 1993, 9780553560732; Green Mars,
Spectra, New York, 1995, ISBN 9780553572391; Blue Mars, Spectra, New York, 1995, ISBN
9780553573350
Robinson, Kim Stanley, 2312, Orbit, London, 2011, ISBN 9780316098113
Sawyer, Robert J., Foreigner, Ace, New York, 1994, ISBN 9780441000173
Scalzi, John, Old Mans War, TOR Science Fiction, New York, 2007, ISBN 978-0765348272
Schtzing, Frank, Limit, 2013, Jo Fletcher Books, London, 2013, ISB N 978-1623650445
Sheffield, Charles, The Web Between the Worlds, Sidgwick and Jackson Limited, London, 1980, ISBN
9780283986642
Slonczewski, Joan, The Highest Frontier, TOR Books, New York, 2011, ISBN 978-0765329561
Stabenow, Dana, Second Star, Ace, New York, 1990, ISBN 9780441757220
Stirling, S. M., Drakon, Baen, Wake Forest, NC, , 1996, ISBN 9780671877118
Westerfeld, Scott, Extras, Simon Pulse, New York, 2007, ISBN 9781442419780

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Williams, David J., The Mirrored Heavens, Random House, New York, 2008, ASIN: B00FLIJJSA
Williscroft, Robert G., The Starchild Compact, Starman Press, Carson City, NV, 2014, ISBN 9780982166253
Williscroft, Robert G., Slingshot, Starman Press, Carson City, NV, 2015, ISBN 9780996466905
Wilson, Nicolas, Failure Cascade in Selected Short Stories Featuring New Corpse Smell, Amazon Digital
Services, 2013, ASIN B00D36KVBQ
Zelazny, Roger and Thomas Thurston Thomas, Flare, Baen, Wake Forest, NC, 1992, ISBN 9780671721336

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