Early in November 2009, Space Elevators became a step closer to reality with a Robotic craft winning a $900000 prize offered by NASA. A Space Elevator would be tethered to Earth somewhere near the equator with the other end attached to a large mass in orbit. It is thought that this technology would eventually allow easier and cheaper access to space for humans and robotic craft. To win the prize, a robotic craft traveled up a tether nearly a mile high suspended from a helicopter. Power was beamed to the robotic system via a ground based laser.