In our July 2015 issue, we ran a fascinating piece by Dr. Peter A. Swan on the Space Elevator. It may seem a fantastical concept, but it’s well on its way in terms of development within the first half of this century.

In Dr. Swan’s article, he discusses the marine node of the Space Elevator project. We caught up with the International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC) to see where the project stands at the moment, and Vernon E. Hall, Earth Port Harbor Master of ISEC, said the marine node concept has since been expanded and renamed as the “Earth Port”.

Hall brought us up to date with the latest from the annual ISEC Conference in August 2016, during which several points were emphasized:

1. The Space Elevator will add a third dimension to existing and well-established earthbound transportation systems and cargo logistics chains.
2. The Earth Port facilities will serve as a key intermodal link in this expanded transportation system.
3. Design, build and operation of the Earth Port will require expertise in several maritime-related fields that are not typically within the purview of the aerospace industry, e.g., the discipline of naval architecture to design the floating platforms.
4. A variety of modern ocean-going vessels and regional aircraft will be utilized in the day-to-day activities of the Earth Port.

To learn more about the space elevator, visit www.isec.org.