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Getting off the pad takes the most energy and most of the fuel. So let's build a big-ass centrifuge on top of a mountain. Put the rocket at the far end and a counterweight (another rocket?) at the other. With good aerodynamic streamlining and modern materials it should be possible to get the thing past
Mach 1, possibly Mach 2 in a horizontal plane. Fire rocket motors before release, then the 'second stage' can curve the rocket skyward once released. Gotta do the math to determine G force based on centrifuge arm length but it would be interesting to see if it's within human tolerance. Failing that it's a heckuva efficient way to get cargo out there.
yellow leds
Kiritimaticentrifugomobile
it was fun [DenholmRicshaw, Oct 22 2014]
Slingatron
https://en.wikipedi...celaunch#Slingatron
A similar idea [notexactly, Oct 02 2017]
[link]
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You can say that for sure. I think this idea has
bounced around before, and the math[s] shows why
it's not a winner. |
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The only advantage of using a centrifuge is that you
can put the energy in gradually. But if the energy
source is ground-based, this isn't really a big
advantage. |
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A simple linear accelerator (be it railgun,
conventional gun or whatever) probably makes a lot
more sense. |
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The sizes depend on what G you want, and what final
velocity. |
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A large _enough_ centrifuge will give you any speed
you want at an arbitrarily low G; but a linear
accelerator will always come out better if you want
high speed and low G. |
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This is so unambitious. From the title I had imagined a giant circum-equatorial centrifuge. Hurling a capsule to space would be a delightfully graceful experience, the occupants perceiving a gradual reduction in their weight until weightless, and then, depending on the altitude they're heading to, a progressive inversion of the world occurs as the astronauts start to stand on the ceiling, finally bracing themselves for the sudden jerk as the ship is released to rip through the atmosphere and lithely glide into an impractically elliptical orbit. |
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Yes, more on the fiery death bit... |
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// a giant circum-equatorial centrifuge // -- While
in the atmosphere, it could operate like a towed
glider. Once it's above most of the atmosphere the
real acceleration can begin. All you need is a very
heat resistant cable. |
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At the end of a 1km arm, an object travelling 1,000kph will pull about 8g's. |
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We've lost money on this before...linky |
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If you could built a centrifuge with a radius of about
93,000,000 miles, and spin it at 0.0000019 rpm, you'd
be able to achieve orbit around the sun. |
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Wait a minute, those numbers are familiar... |
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Hey that's so InnerPlanets-ist ...what about Uranus (and the other outer planets, moons, bits of rock, old space probes etc) |
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Keep Uranus away from my sandwich. |
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Confused two titles and read this as orbital bathrobe.... |
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