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For generations of Canadians, knowledge of space-age technology doesn’t go much farther than the long-standing rivalry betweenStar WarsandStar Trek. But hundreds of scientists, engineers and astronauts came together in Toronto this week to get a glimpse of some futuristic ideas that may — or may not — one day be a reality. TheNational Post’s Sadaf Ahsan takes a look at some of the projects presented at the 34th International Space Development Conference, where innovation ranged from an elevator to the moon to moon-flavoured water.

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What happens when an elevator gets stuck between planets?

You could one day commute to the moon if LiftPort Group, a Kickstarter-funded space elevator project, can deliver on its goal. The group has been working on a Lunar Space Elevator Infrastructure (LSEI or “Elsie”), that would make possible the transport of extracted and other materials from the moon’s surface into Earth’s orbit, essentially by using a ribbon anchored to the moon’s surface from a docking port that would theoretically stretch to Earth, where a counterweight would keep it taut. An electrically powered lifter would transport materials by moving up and down the ribbon. The company’s lofty goals have been met with considerable skepticism. Some critics have referred to the plans as “aimless” and a “waste of money.” The price tag to build the elevator is estimated at $800 million and wouldn’t be in effect for at least another 25-30 years. After receiving its Kickstarter funds of about $100,000, the team has been relatively silent. It claims to have been working steadily on this project for a decade in the ambitious hope “to link humanity from our home, to our moon, to our planets, and to the stars.”