2004 Presenter Full Presenter List

Brad Edwards

‘The Space Elevator’

Dr. Brad Edwards, ISR’s Director of Research, has been granted funds by NASA to investigate the feasibility of designing and building a space elevator: a revolutionary way of getting from Earth into space – a ribbon with one end attached to Earth on a floating platform located at the equator and the other end in space beyond geosynchronous orbit (35,800 km altitude). Although once relegated to the realm of science fiction, ISR has found a space elevator capable of lifting five-ton payloads every day to all Earth orbits, the moon, Mars, Venus or the asteroids could be operation in 15 years.

Since receiving his PhD in physics from the University of Wisconsin, Edwards has been involved in a number of advanced technology developments and space missions, including experimental efforts to construct the world’s first optical cryocooler. Edwards spent eleven years at Los Alamos National Laboratory before joining the ISR. He has four patents, over 40 published papers, one book, a distinguished performance award from Los Alamos National Laboratory and a letter of commendation from the Department of Energy.