How Space Elevators Will Work

When the Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off on April 12, 1981, from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., to begin the first space shuttle mission, the dream of a reusable spacecraft was realized. Since then, NASA has launched more than 100 missions, but the price tag of space missions has changed little.

A new space transportation system being developed could make travel to Geostationary Earth Orbit… » Full Story on HowStuffWorks