Space is the Place

The IEEE Spectrum has a very informative article about the less and less unlikely idea of Hoisting to the Heavens. I clearly remember that during my high school physics eduation (which was otherwise stellar), the teacher repeatly mentioned the impossibility of a rope into space as an example of how far it was into space, and how the rope would snap under it's own weight. The idea was pure fantasy. Well, pretty soon is looks like fantasy may arrive. I guess the lesson to be learned here is that carbon nanotube rope is just as unfathomly small as the distance to space is large.