Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
Apparently the Google guys are really interested in beanstalks.
A paper on a non-rocket alternative to beating gravity wells:
http://www.launchloop.com/launchloop.pdf
and some further details on present ion drive tech:
http://hpcc.engin.umich.edu/CFD/research/NGPD/Publications/IEPC-05-138.pdf
The gaming details of interest might be the mass flow experimented with: 10-20 mg/sec; and the exhaust velocity: 20 km/s. Also those guys in ref. 5 rock
.
http://www.launchloop.com/launchloop.pdf
and some further details on present ion drive tech:
http://hpcc.engin.umich.edu/CFD/research/NGPD/Publications/IEPC-05-138.pdf
The gaming details of interest might be the mass flow experimented with: 10-20 mg/sec; and the exhaust velocity: 20 km/s. Also those guys in ref. 5 rock
.shadowdragon
SOC-12
Quote:
"Linear launch accelerators: Cargo is loaded into a huge magnetic linear accelerator and launched. Downside: Cargo needs to be able to withstand very high acceleration (10s to 100s of Gs), so no people launching."
Linear launch accelerators require a total length that is determined by their acceleration. The acceleration is determined by the mass of the cargo and the power of the accelerator. A simple 1g accelerator will get an object into orbit. It's just a really long accelerator.....
re: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by RAH.
"Linear launch accelerators: Cargo is loaded into a huge magnetic linear accelerator and launched. Downside: Cargo needs to be able to withstand very high acceleration (10s to 100s of Gs), so no people launching."
Linear launch accelerators require a total length that is determined by their acceleration. The acceleration is determined by the mass of the cargo and the power of the accelerator. A simple 1g accelerator will get an object into orbit. It's just a really long accelerator.....
re: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by RAH.
Seems to me, anything "Hard" is gonna be really inefficient, as you say, without "handwavium".
Thus, perhaps go "soft" sf, say it can lift off, and be done with it, a la Han Solo, and don't sweat the details.
Watching Star Wars films, I was not thinking, gee, no sound in space, those rockets don't produce enough thrust, etc. etc Lightsabers are BS, AT-AT Walkers are never going to be as good as tanks of the same mass, the aliens are implausible.
None of that.
I was thinking, I love this story, I hope they can torch the Death Star. I hope they will blow up the second Death Star.
The best way to get to orbit is the Zen Drive. It works. You fire it up, you are there. Go on with the story.
Just one Traveller referee's perception.
Thus, perhaps go "soft" sf, say it can lift off, and be done with it, a la Han Solo, and don't sweat the details.
Watching Star Wars films, I was not thinking, gee, no sound in space, those rockets don't produce enough thrust, etc. etc Lightsabers are BS, AT-AT Walkers are never going to be as good as tanks of the same mass, the aliens are implausible.
None of that.
I was thinking, I love this story, I hope they can torch the Death Star. I hope they will blow up the second Death Star.
The best way to get to orbit is the Zen Drive. It works. You fire it up, you are there. Go on with the story.
Just one Traveller referee's perception.
Linear launch sounds like a great surface-to-surface "payload" delivery system (boom)?
My preferences line up with others here: hybrid spaceplanes for surface-to-orbit, then space stations, then beanstalks, and ion drives for interplanetary carriers.
Multistage rockets would be cool, too...
My preferences line up with others here: hybrid spaceplanes for surface-to-orbit, then space stations, then beanstalks, and ion drives for interplanetary carriers.
Multistage rockets would be cool, too...