Explore the frontiers of space exploration this summer with a three-day conference on the Space Elevator in Redmond.

The Space Engineering and Science Institute present the fourth annual Space Elevator Conference at the Microsoft Conference Center on July 18-20. The conference is sponsored by Microsoft Corporation, Black Line Ascension and Industrial Nano.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Bradley C. Edwards, author of the book “The Space Elevator.” Edwards is a globally recognized physicist and entrepreneur and now lives in Seattle.

The Space Elevator is a radical new way to access space less expensively than possible with chemical rocket technology. The Space Elevator uses a carbon nanotube ribbon that stretches from the surface of Earth to a counterweight in space. Climbers ascend the ribbon, lifting cargo and passengers to Earth orbits and launching space ships to distant planets.

The 2008 Space Elevator Conference focuses on all aspects of Space Elevator development, engaging an international audience of scientists, engineers, educators, managers, entrepreneurs, enthusiasts and students. This conference will feature topical discussions in all four pillars of Space Elevator development: science/technical, political/social, legal and economic.

The Space Elevator Conference draws academics in the area of space exploration and is open to the public.

The conference Web site is www.spaceelevatorconference.org.