Space elevators in fiction
This is a list of occurrences of space elevators in fiction. Some depictions were made before the space elevator concept became fully established.
Novels and Fairy tales
- 2061: Odyssey Three, novel by Arthur C. Clarke. The possibility of a space elevator is realised after a groundbreaking discovery that Jupiter's core (now in fragments around the orbit of Lucifer) had been a solid diamond; as the hardest substance in nature, suddenly available in vast quantities, it facilitates the construction of a solid elevator rather than the more common tether structure previously envisaged
- 3001: The Final Odyssey, novel by Arthur C. Clarke. In this novel, a ring habitat now exists around the Earth that is connected to the surface via four, solid-diamond space elevators
- The Last Theorem, novel by Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl
- Across the Sea of Suns, novel by Gregory Benford
- Across the Sea of Stars, collection by Arthur C. Clarke
- Assassin Gambit, novel by William Forstchen
- Chasm City, novel by Alastair Reynolds
- City of Heaven, novel by Tom Terry depicts a terrorist attack aboard a space elevator
- Coyote Frontier, novel by Allen Steele
- Deepsix, novel by Jack McDevitt. The remains of a space elevator are found on a doomed planet
- Drakon, novel by S.M. Stirling. Referd to as the beanstalk
- Feersum Endjinn, novel by Iain M. Banks
- Foreigner, novel by Robert J. Sawyer
- Friday, novel by Robert A. Heinlein
- The Fountains of Paradise, novel by Arthur C. Clarke. This novel is primarily about the construction of a space elevator on a mountain top on Earth in a fictionalised version of Sri Lanka.
- Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, novel by Eric S. Nylund. Features the UNSC Centennial Orbital Elevator in Havana, Cuba.
- Hothouse, novel by Brian Aldiss
- Jack and the Beanstalk, fairy tale. Due to this story about a plant that grows up into the sky, another name for a space elevator has been coined: 'beanstalk'.
- Jack and the Skyhook, children's book by Damien Broderick
- Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of London, novel by Keith Mansfield. Title character Johnny Mackintosh and sister Clara leave Earth for the first time in a secret space elevator.
- Jumping Off the Planet, novel by David Gerrold
- Limit, novel by Frank Schätzing. Used for transporting nuclear fuel between Moon and Earth.
- The Mars Trilogy, a series of novels (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars) by Kim Stanley Robinson, depicts space elevators on Earth and on Mars whose cables are made of carbon nanotube which are manufactured on an asteroid, and lowered into the atmosphere, using the asteroid as a counterweight. Red Mars depicts what happens when the cable is cut at the asteroid anchor point
- Mercury, novel by Ben Bova about a space elevator sabotage that gets an innocent man exiled from Earth
- The Night Sessions. novel by Ken MacLeod
- Old Man's War, novel by John Scalzi. Explicitly established not to be in a physically viable orbit, indicating the government which maintains it is keeping technological secrets from Earth.
- Rainbow Mars, novel by Larry Niven with 'beanstalks' on Mars and Earth
- The Science of Discworld, by Terry Pratchett, Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart, in which Roundworld humanity escapes to the stars via an elevator
- Songs of Distant Earth, novel by Arthur C. Clarke. The name 'space elevator' is not used in this book and the device used is not suitable for transporting humans. Instead, a kind of very strong cable is used to pull massive blocks of ice up to a spaceship in orbit around a fictitious planet from its surface
- Starclimber, novel by Kenneth Oppel
- Star Trek: S.C.E. #37: Ring Around the Sky by Allyn Gibson. Features a world with a series of space elevators that connect to a solid ring structure built around the planet, now threatened with collapse.
- Strata, one of Terry Pratchett's two solely science-fiction novels
- Sundiver, novel by David Brin
- Sunstorm, novel by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter
- Sometimes The Dragon Wins, novel by William Walling
- The Descent of Anansi, novel by Steven Barnes and Larry Niven (ISBN 0-8125-1292-8)
- The End of the Empire, novel by Alexis A. Gilliland
- The Night's Dawn Trilogy, novels by Peter F. Hamilton
- The Web Between the Worlds, novel by Charles Sheffield
- Tour of the Universe, novel by Robert Holdstock and Malcolm Edwards
- Zavtra Nastupit Vechnost (Tomorrow The Eternity Will Come), novel by Russian sci-fi writer Alexander Gromov
- Zmeyonysh (Young Snake), novella by the same author
- Zastryat v Lifte (To Struck in The Elevator), short story by Russian sci-fi writer Dmitry Tarabanov. In this technical love-story, the sabotage of the first space elevator, built by LiftPort Group and named after Yuri Artsutanov, is described
- Metaplanetary and Superluminal, novels by science fiction writer (as opposed to comic creator) Tony Daniel
- The Mirrored Heavens, novel by David J. Williams
- Singularity's Ring, novel by Paul Melko
Anime, Comics, and Manga
- 21st Century Fox, web comic by Scott Kellogg, depicts attempt to build a proof of concept space elevator.
- Battle Angel Alita, the floating city of Tiphares/Zalem is actually the bottom end of one of two space elevators, each located on the opposite ends of the world and joined by an orbital ring. Its sister city Ketheres/Jeru is at the opposite end of the elevator.
- Biomega, a manga series by Tsutomu Nihei, features a space elevator referred to as the "Intercontinental Mooring Cable."
- Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, anime series, contains a skyhook throughout the series.
- Cannon God Exaxxion features a space elevator built on Earth using alien technology.
- The third episode of Cyber City Oedo 808 features a space elevator that criminal turned cop Benten rides to investigate a murder.
- Dicebox, web comic, Ch.5. The space elevator, a shimmering thread against the sky, was "obsolete years before we were born", but still a tourist attraction.
- Dirty Pair "Project Eden", anime, a James Bond-like pre-title sequence is set in a climber-car on a space elevator, one such that leads to an orbital ring habitat about an un-named planet. It and the ring are destroyed by the end of the heroines' visit (but not their fault!).
- Eureka Seven features a starship linked to the Earth's capital by a space elevator.
- Hammer Locke, DC Comics limited series, features a space elevator under construction in mid-21st century Africa.
- Kiddy Grade, anime series, in which a space elevator combined with an Orbital ring structure is used on most populated planets.
- In Kurau: Phantom Memory, space elevators are used as spaceports for easier traveling between the Earth and a full colonized Moon.
- Legend of the Galactic Heroes, anime series, depicts a space elevator in the planet Phezzan.
- In Mobile Suit Gundam 00, all the superpowers have a space elevator (Permanent Orbital Station) of their own, linked to a Solar Power Satellite array used to harness solar energy for their use. Each elevator has two orbital stations: the lower orbital station functions as a spaceport and tourist attraction while the high orbital station houses the elevator's control facilities and provides physical access to the solar array. The partial destruction of the Africa elevator in the second season reveals that the elevators have ablative armor plates for protection against debris; purging these plates require the technical crew to jettison the counterweight at the orbital end in order to avoid the now-unbalanced elevator's complete destruction. They play a critical plot role in power balance and maintaining spheres of influence by denying electricity to rogue states.
- Nemesis the Warlock, comic strip by Pat Mills, book 4 The Gothic Empire.
- Outlaw Star, anime series, episode 14 "Final Countdown", features the problem of a falling elevator due to a terrorist attack.
- Starship Operators, anime series, episode 5 Great Escape, briefly depicts an orbital elevator ride on a fictitious planet.
- The Super Dimension Century Orguss (1983) anime TV series features a conflict over a space elevator.
- Tekkaman, anime series, depicts six "orbital elevators" located throughout Earth and locked in space by a orbital ring structure. Every episode deals with the space elevators.
- Turn A Gundam, anime series, depicts an ancient hypersonic skyhook which has been maintained operationally by nanomachines over thousands of years. An ancient mass driver is also used for transporting space-vessels from earth's surface to the skyhook.
- Zone of the Enders: Dolores, i, anime series, contains an orbital elevator early in the series, and then is the focus of the end, where someone is trying to destroy the counterweights to make the elevator collapse. Intriguing use of emergency counterweights depicted.
Games
- 2300 AD, role-playing game by Game Designers' Workshop.
- The video game Final Star Force includes a stage with a space elevator.
- The Android detective board game includes a space elevator.
- From Software's Armored Core 2 and Armored Core 2: Another Age feature space elevators named "Rapture" above both Earth and Mars.
- Blue Planet (role-playing game) featured a space elevator located in Ecuador that is destroyed by terrorists during the dark years of the Blight.
- Civilization: Call to Power and Sid Meier's Civilization IV, strategy video game, as a Wonder of the World.
- Contra: Hard Corps, Colonel Bahamut takes the Alien Cell to the top of his personal Space Elevator with plans of using its power for world domination.
- Eclipse Phase (role-playing game), some space elevators had been built from earth to the orbit or space stations, but except one where destroyed during a war between man and machine.
- Freelancer, a space elevator transports small ships from orbit to the surface of planets.
- Front Mission: Gun Hazard, video game by Square, features the Orbital Elevator "A.T.L.A.S.".
- Front Mission Evolved, an upcoming videogame by Square Enix, features an Orbital Elevator.
- Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 3: ODST video games by Bungie Studios, depict a space elevator in New Mombasa, Kenya in the year 2552. The elevator is toppled during the First Battle of Earth in Halo 2/Halo 3: ODST, and its ruins are encountered during operations in the Battle of Voi (Second Battle of Earth) in Halo 3. The Halo 3 Multiplayer Map "Orbital" also depicts a space elevator over Quito, Ecuador. Halo Reach depicts three slightly different orbital elevators in the distance of the city 'New Alexandria' on the human colony Reach, but they aren't accessible in the game.
- Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, strategy video game, allows players to build a "Secret Project" entitled the "Space Elevator".
- Sonic Colors, Platformer by Sega. Dr. Eggman creates an orbital elevator which reaches out to an "Interstellar Amusement park" consisting of a spherical main body with several alien planets tethered to it via giant energy chains.
- Syndicate Wars, a videogame by Bullfrog Productions, featured an "orbital elevator" which was actually a lunar space elevator.
- The Moment of Silence, an adventure video game by The Adventure Company, lets you ride a space elevator based in New York City.
- Transhuman Space, role-playing game by Steve Jackson Games. In this setting, a first space elevator had been built on Mars and the second one, on Earth, is on the way.
- Martian Rails, a crayon rail system game by Mayfair Games pays tribute to the Mars Trilogy with a "Cable Breaks" event that destroys everything on the equator.
- Mega Man X8, Action game by Capcom. An Orbital Elevator known as "Jakob" is used to transport Reploids and materials to the moon to prepare it for colonization, and is at the center of the game's conflict.
- Mega Man X Command Mission, RPG by Capcom. The final moments of the game before the final boss' final form takes place in an Orbital Elevator named "Babel"
- Mega Man Zero series, Action game by Capcom. In the series, all important Government locations are located atop orbital elevators in stationary satellites, and multiple elevators can be seen from the elevator Area X-ll in Mega Man Zero 3. The Neo Arcadia Tower present in the first game is also the remains of an elevator damaged in the wars past, hollowed out and laid with traps to foil intruders.
- Independence War or I-War, a space simulation game by Particle Systems Ltd. A multiple tether space elevator is shown in the introduction movie when President King is transported into space aboard a crawler.
- Namco Bandai's role-playing video game series Xenosaga features a gigantic space station in orbit above Federation capital planet of Fifth Jeruselam. Episode III reveals that the station is tethered to the ground by a space elevator.
- The space elevator "Babel" appears in Battle Clash and its sequel as the last great construction project completed before the apocalypse, and serves as the only surviving route to outer space.
Movies and TV series
Others
- Globus Cassus, a proposed Terraforming project that uses four space elevators during its construction.
- Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, a multimedia project, features a skyhook in orbit around Coruscant. More such skyhooks are mentioned in other Star Wars stories.
- In the GURPS Transhuman Space role-playing game source book about Mars in the year 2100, In The Well, they have placed a completed orbital elevator (Beanstalk) on Pavonis Mons, linked to Deimos. There is also a beanstalk beginning construction on Mt. Kenya.
- The board game, Buck Rogers - Battle for the 25th Century (1988) featured a space elevator connecting the Mars territory of Pavonis to the Far Mars Orbit and the moon, Deimus.
- Jovian Chronicles, a Role-playing game by Dream Pod 9, includes the wreckage of a Martian space elevator. The elevator was destroyed by terrorists in the published scenario included with the original release of the setting. The wreckage created the "'Vator Crater", a long canyon running along the Martian equator.
- Images: "How the elevator might ultimately look" metro.co.uk pages 29 Friday, November 6, 2009—Deployment platform, Orbital correction, Photo array, Climbers, Carbon nano tube cable, anchor--
See also
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