People reading Saturday's P-I may have noticed that Microsoft was the host of the 2008 Space Elevator Conference over the weekend. As explained by P-I reporter Tom Paulson, the three-day event was devoted to the concept of developing a system, possibly based on a carbon-nanotube ribbon, for lifting cargo and, potentially, people into space.
The natural question: What is Microsoft's involvement in space elevators? None, right now, according to the company. Microsoft's decision to host and sponsor the event was based on its general interest in supporting the sciences, and it doesn't have any research projects devoted to space elevators, a company representative said via e-mail.
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