Ted Semon on the Space Elevator Blog and Dr. Edwards over on the Space Elevator Reference have done such a great round up about the X-Prize Cup that there is little need for any extra analysis.
However, after viewing video and reading opinions of bloggers at the event one thing became clear–space may be for the upcoming generation.
Although NASA will undoubtedly build bigger and better (yet more expensive) rockets, the final frontier will still be limited towards the healthy and wealthy, or federal space employees.
It may be a good thirty to forty years until humans begin to travel up a space elevator (an optimistic view, at least from one LiftPort staff member) but perhaps space is not for our generation.
Our fathers may have not prepared us for the final frontier (as their fathers did not do as great a job in this regard) but perhaps the current generation can prepare the future one for the opportunity.
After all, the human race still has plenty of problems to work out on planet Earth (like loving thy neighbor) and perhaps this will give our species time to find a solution for some of these problems before we head off towards the stars.
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