Elevator team heads south

October 30, 2009

The U of S Space Design Team (USST) is once again heading south, this time to the NASA Dryden Flight Research Centre at Edwards Air Force Base near Mojave, California, in an attempt to capture top prize in the space elevator competition.

For the past five years, the team has beat out all other competitors in the annual Elevator: 2010 competition that challenges teams to design, build and operate tethered climbers that employ power beaming technology. Although the USST holds four world records for power beaming, it has never met the rate-of-climb standard required to take home the prize money, which this year is $2 million.

Made up of students from a number of disciplines and U of S alumni, the USST is the only university-based team to qualify for this year's competition, which will take place Nov. 2-6, weather permitting.

For more information about the team and the climber, watch the USST Trailer 2009 on YouTube or follow the competition online Elevator: 2010.