A space elevator is a hypothetical planet-to-space transportation system. They are also referred to as a space bridge, star ladder, and orbital lift. Often depicted in science fiction, additional references summarized herein include orbital elevator, beanstalk, and skyhook. This is a list of occurrences of space elevators in fiction across various mediums.
Novels and short stories Title Type First Published Author Context2061: Odyssey Threenovel1987Arthur C. ClarkeThe possibility of a space elevator is realised after a groundbreaking discovery that Jupiter's core (now in fragments around the orbit of Lucifer, the small sun formed by the implosion of Jupiter) 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 envisaged2312novel2012 Kim Stanley RobinsonSpace elevators connect Earth's surface to orbit.3001: The Final Odysseynovel1997Arthur C. ClarkeIn this novel, a ring habitat now exists around the Earth that is connected to the surface via four inhabitable towers–assumed successors to space elevatorsAcross the Sea of Sunsnovel1984Gregory BenfordDiscussion of space elevators and moving people and machines up and down from orbit reducing need for rocketsAssassin Gambitnovel1988William R. ForstchenSpace elevator, including book cover artBlake's 7: Archangel novel2012Scott HarrisonWhile in a hologram simulation of an alien city called Teshak City, a character spots the bottom of a space lift connected to a promontory of rock further down the river.Charlie and the Great Glass Elevatornovel1972Roald DahlWhile technically an elevator in space, this may not qualify as a "space elevator."Chasm City novel2001 Alastair ReynoldsA space elevator spectacularly sabotaged by nuclear weaponry as protagonist is on-boardChildren of Timenovel2015 Adrian Tchaikovsky A species of jumping spider has been introduced on a distant terraformed planet, and is inadvertently infected with a nanovirus that hyper-accelerates its evolution and societal development. The advanced spiders refine their silk spinning processes to enable various technologies, including a web of interconnected space elevators and orbiting stations as their primary means to become a spacefaring civilization.City of Heavennovel2008 Tom Terry Depicts a terrorist attack aboard a space elevatorCreation Nodenovel2023Stephen Baxter Helium-3 is mined in Saturn's atmosphere via a space elevator attached to a habitat in orbit around the planet.Deepsixnovel2001Jack McDevittThe remains of a space elevato (skyhook) are found on a doomed planetThe Descent of Anansinovel1982Steven Barnes and Larry NivenPhysics of tidal forces and orbital tether concepts are addressed in the plotThe Dire Earth Cycle trilogynovel2013 Jason M. HoughStory is set in the year 2283 in Darwin Australia where aliens have gifted Earth a space elevatorDrakonnovel1996S.M. StirlingReferred to as the beanstalkThe End of the Empirenovel1983Alexis A. GillilandOrbital elevators are used to control population between orbital habitats and the planet MalusiaFeersum Endjinnnovel1994Iain M. BanksFour narratives built around a defunct megastructure that was a space elevatorFirst Ascent novel2025Douglas Phillips A space elevator appears overnight off the coast of Ecuador. Its graphene laminate tether, six stations, and maglev V-pod climber become the primary settings for the story.Foreignernovel1994 Robert J. SawyerSpace elevator built by aliensFree Fallnovel2011 William H. KeithStory features a towering exo-atmospheric elevator serving as Earth's hub of interplanetary tradeFridaynovel1982 Robert A. HeinleinStory features two space elevators located near the Equator (the "Quito Sky Hook" and "Nairobi Beanstalk").The Fountains of Paradisenovel1979 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.The Gordon Mamon Casebook, five SF murder-mystery stories (Murder On The Zenith Express, Single Handed, The Fall Guy, The Hunt For Red Leicester, and A Night To Remember)novel2012Simon Petrie Set on a string of hotel modules ascending and descending a space elevator that connects Earth with a mega-hotel in geosynchronous orbit. A subsequent novella, Elevator Pitch, shares this setting.Halo: Ghosts of Onyxnovel2006Eric S. NylundFeatures the UNSC Centennial Orbital Elevator in Havana, Cuba.Halo: Contact Harvestnovel2007Joseph StatenIt depicts the Harvest space elevator, which is used to evacuate the population and militia to orbit during the first battle of HarvestThe Highest Frontiernovel2011Joan Slonczewski A college student rides a space elevator constructed of self-healing cables of anthrax bacilli. The engineered bacteria can regrow the cables when severed by space debris.Hothousenovel1962 Brian AldissThe space elevator in this novel is in actuality a giant banyan tree, which has grown to enormous size over many millennia.Jack and the Skyhooknovel2003Damien BroderickChildren's book, science fiction take on Jack and the BeanstalkJohnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of Londonnovel2008Keith Mansfield Title character Johnny Mackintosh and sister Clara leave Earth for the first time in a secret space elevator.Jumping Off the Planetnovel1998 David Gerroldfamily vacation up the space elevator to the MoonKris Longknife Indomitable novel2019Mike Shepherd Space elevators are ubiquitous across the known galaxy.The Last Theoremnovel2008Arthur C. Clarke, Frederik PohlPlot includes a space elevator built in Sri LankaLimitnovel2009Frank SchätzingUsed for transporting nuclear fuel between Moon and Earth.The Long Marsnovel2014Stephen Baxter, Terry Pratchett In the parallel martian worlds, the existence of the elevator is proven as to be a logical step for a long-gone civilization.The Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars)novel1992 Kim Stanley RobinsonDepicts space elevators on Earth and on Mars, the cables of which are made of carbon nanotubes manufactured on asteroids and lowered into each planet's atmosphere, using the asteroid as a counterweight. Red Mars depicts what happens when a cable is cut at the asteroid anchor point.Marsbound novel2008 Joe Haldeman Story focuses on ride on a space elevator that has been built off the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean in the late 21st centuryMercurynovel2005 Ben Bova About a space elevator sabotage that gets an innocent man exiled from EarthMetaplanetary and Superluminalnovel2001Tony Daniel The inner system of the Met are worlds connected by a vast living network of cablesThe Mirrored Heavensnovel2008David J. WilliamsPhoenix Space Elevator, built by the United States and the Eurasian Coalition, designed to provide access to the frontier beyond EarthThe Night Sessionsnovel2008Ken MacLeodEarth's two space elevators are destroyedThe Night's Dawn Trilogynovel1996 Peter F. HamiltonSpace elevators are ubiquitous part of the story infrastructureOld Man's Warnovel2005John Scalzi Explicitly established not to be in a physically viable orbit, indicating the government which maintains it is keeping technological secrets from Earth.Pillar to the Skynovel2014William R. ForstchenPlot focuses on building the first space elevator on EarthPlaces in the Darknessnovel2017Christopher BrookmyreAction in the novel occurs at Ciudad de Cielo which is a double-wheeled station reached by a climb up a space elevator to geostationary orbit and then a brief shuttle ride to the station in high orbit.Project Hail Marynovel2021Andy WeirThe Eridian race has built a space elevator to reach orbit, since the gravity and atmosphere on their homeworld of Erid (40 Eridani A b) make traditional chemical rocket launches nearly impossible. This elevator is also used to dock with their exploratory ship Blip-A and the Earth ship Hail Mary.Rainbow Marsnovel1999 Larry Niven With 'beanstalks' on Mars and EarthThe Rope Is the World included in the collection Three Moments of an Explosion: Storiesshort story2009 China MiévilleDepicts the bleaker aspects of space elevators, as the novelty wears off and they become derelict.Running the Line - Stories of the Space Elevatornovel2006 Editors Brad Edwards and David RaittThe book is a result of the 2nd Clarke-Bradbury International Science Fiction Competition organized by David Raitt of the European Space Agency's Technology Transfer and Promotion Office with the theme of Space Elevators. The book contains 35 stories (including the winner and runner up plus three images (including winner and runner up).The Science of Discworldnovel1999Terry Pratchett, Jack Cohen, Ian StewartRoundworld humanity escapes to the stars via an elevatorSingularity's Ringnovel2008 Paul MelkoSpace elevator used by protagonists to gain access to the planetary surfaceSongs of Distant Earthnovel1986Arthur C. ClarkeThe 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 surfaceStarclimbernovel2008Kenneth Oppel The main characters go to space using a space elevator.Stratanovel1981 Terry PratchettSpace elevators are part of the infrastructure within the plotSundiver novel1980 David BrinPlot starts with crash of an orbital elevatorSunstormnovel2005 Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen BaxterStory concludes with the construction of a space elevator in AustraliaTour of the Universenovel1980Robert Holdstock, Malcolm EdwardsIncludes a space elevator rising from Ecuador to an orbiting space stationThe Web Between the Worlds novel1980 Charles SheffieldBridge-building engineer is recruited to build a space elevator using custom Spider machine to spin the cableZavtra Nastupit Vechnost (Tomorrow The Eternity Will Come)novel2024Alexander GromovOrbital stations and a space elevatorVertikala (The Vertical) novel2006 Predrag Raos Story focuses on protagonist's pilgrimage through the enormous, hundreds of kilometers long and tens of kilometers high "space bridge"The Three Body Problemnovel2008Cixin LiuUse of carbon nanotubes to build a space elevator
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