Space-related technologies are often considered by those not in the know to be guaranteed money-makers.
The pursuit of such highbrow breakthroughs in both science and engineering are, however, often costly and place the entrepreneur at great financial risk - a fact epitomised in the pursuit of the space elevator.
Yes, the space elevator. As unbelievable as it may sound, the creation of such technology is believed to not only be entirely possible but is being actively pursued by a number of people across the country.
Perhaps keenest of them all is Michael Laine, owner of LiftPort, a company recently featured in a CNN Money article entitled 'Space elevator chase yields Earthly rewards: NASA has $4 million on the line for inventors creating the technology that could one day link Earth to the stars'.
Mr Laine has gone into foreclosure seven times in the past five years while chasing his dream. And it is the chase that is the all important factor here - the entrepreneur is adamant that he wouldn't change what has gone before, no matter how difficult it has been.
He said: "I could have retired at 35 with a lifetime income … or I could build an elevator to space."
Mr Laine's seven foreclosures are not a mark that he is a financially flippant man - the fact he could have retired at 35 is testament to this - they are simply an indication of the perils of seeking technological advancement in an area that is only theoretically possible.
That said, there are a number of people pursuing the technology; enough in fact for there to be a Space Elevator Games.
There are two aspects to the Space Elevator Games. The first is the Power Beaming Challenge, which requires teams to build a laser-powered robot with the ability to climb up a one kilometre-long cable at a minimum speed of two metres-per-second.
The second, called the Tether Challenge, sees teams try to create a cable that is 50 per cent stronger than the competition organizers tether, which is made of Zylon.
With the games sponsored by Microsoft and partly taking place at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, the financial potential of the pursuit can perhaps be appreciated.
Whether Mr Laine achieves victory at the event and pockets some of the $4 million dollars up for grabs is not known. What we can be certain of however, is that irrelevant of his fortune - both in finance and luck - the ex-marine will continue to reach for the stars.
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