A space elevator is a theoretical system using a super-strong ribbon going from the surface of the Earth to a point beyond Geosynchronous orbit.
Vehicles would climb the ribbon powered by a beam of energy projected from the surface of the Earth.
A variety of Space Elevator competitions have been held in order to stimulate the development of such materials and techniques.
Space elevators were first conceived in 1895, but until the discovery of carbon nanotubes, no technology was envisioned that could make them possible.
In a Power Beam Challenge, each team designs and builds a climber (a machine capable of traveling up and down a tether ribbon).
In 2009 at Edwards Air Force Base, the challenge was climbing a 900 m tether, and one entry managed the feat several times, with a top speed of 3.5 m/s.
[6] The 2011, 2012, and 2013 ISEC conferences also featured FIRST-style High School robotics competitions for climbers.