[GenericWhiteGuy @ Oct 23rd 2007 12:41PM]

I'm not sure if the first part of your comment was just to make the third point funnier but I'll assume you were serious...

This is a contest sponsored by NASA to encourage private research paid with private money. NASA is only paying the administrative costs of the contest and prize money if the contestant passes the tests. The prize money, if it is ever paid out is far less than the cost of basic research.

Your comment that the material science isn't there yet-- how exactly do you expect that material science to be developed if you don't want to spend any money developing the science? It isn't going to just appear fully-formed one day.

Your point that this will be expensive-- no kidding. What you fail to notice is that nobody has committed to building this. There is no budget. We aren't spending "trillions of dollars" on a space elevator. Again this is a contest to encourage private investment in basic science in the hope that this will not cost trillions of dollars.

Your concern about protecting this from terrorism... What a sad scary world you live in. Should we all curl up in a ball and hide? Don't do anything to attract attention!

I have a image in my mind of you rocking back and forth on the floor thinking, "I should go to the store to get groceries, but if I do that then I'm just more of a target for terrorists!"

Finally, when the Covenent attack I'll feel better knowing that we used those space elevators to build defensive platforms and spaceships so Master Chief can win the fight.