The space tether has more often been addressed by science-fiction writers than by space engineers, and even today many of the tether's most interesting applications still seem very futuristic. However, a good number of the ideas that gained fame in imaginative stories have over time been developed into credible technical concepts. As happened earlier with rocket space transportation, space tether technology is moving from the pages of fiction into the domain of engineering.
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© 2009 Springer-Verlag New York
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Van Pelt, M. (2009). Dreams and Ideas. In: Space Tethers and Space Elevators. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-76556-3_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-76556-3_3
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