Sometimes you want to shoot things up from the ground very fast, with a railgun. But the atmosphere is so rubby! The projectile will get hot and lose a lot of its speed. What to do, what to do.
BUNGCO decided that one workaround would be to persuade the atmosphere to get out of the way. Giant vacuum tubes built into mountains is so 2007. We want to make it get out of the way wherever it is, whenever we want.
Energetic neutrons are well absorbed by the atmosphere, and the absorbtion produces heat. Hot gas is less dense than cold. An energetic neutron particle beam along the path of the soon-to-be-fired railgun projectile will produce a pillar of flame of very low density (is it still a pillar if it is at a steep angle? We say it is, and we have a particle beam). The railgun can then be fired along that pillar of flame, encountering a tenth or less of the resistance it would have encountered traversing the cold obtuse unsoftened atmosphere.-- bungston, May 23 2018 Radiative transfer https://en.wikipedi.../Radiative_transferNote the significance of absorption opacity. [8th of 7, May 23 2018] Ayaks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AyaksMentioned in my anno. Russian concept ionospheric airplane. [notexactly, May 25 2018] And your neutron source is ... ?
We draw your attention to the well-known physical phenomenon of "radiation transport", particularly noticeable during the early stages of detonation of fission weapons.
<link>-- 8th of 7, May 23 2018 It turns out there are neutrons everywhere, and cheap! As regards link, there were parts in there that did not seem to be in English.-- bungston, May 23 2018 There is a Russian jet I can no longer find which uses focussed micro waves to super-heat the air in front of the craft creating an expanded air-bubble which collapses as the jet enters it over and over again basically removing atmospheric density from the equation. Much like a super-cavitation torpedo.
Find that tech and you can use it to launch magnetic rail-gun loads with impunity.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, May 23 2018 I have a trained cat that sits on mine, otherwise it's all that wandering around the hangar with arms outstretched going " Oh bugger, oh bugger, oh bugger when did I put that stealth plane?"
At least now I know why the B-2 Spirit is so big, it's easier to find by touch.-- not_morrison_rm, May 24 2018 Seems I'm always Putin things away and then can't find them later.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, May 24 2018 Oh, just quit Stalin and go and look properly.-- 8th of 7, May 24 2018 Clearing a path the neutrons, lasers or electrical discharge would be possible. Loud, though, as the superheated column of gas would collapse the way it does for lightning. Further notes: o a modestly-powered ionizing beam of x-rays, etc. could fire to a high-altitude platform. Then, a high current is passed through the conducting column to clear it. OR keep it ionized, possibly powering a craft.-- EvilTronics, May 24 2018 // There is a Russian jet I can no longer find which uses focussed micro waves to super-heat the air in front of the craft creating an expanded air-bubble which collapses as the jet enters it over and over again basically removing atmospheric density from the equation. Much like a super- cavitation torpedo. //
Are you thinking of (by which I mean misremembering) Ayaks? [link]-- notexactly, May 25 2018 Welcome to the half-bakery, [EvilTronics]. Noisily collapsing a superheated column of gas is a very promising start.
Can you explain how you're going to power a craft from an ionized column? It sounds a bit like a sort of low-friction space elevator concept, except only halfway to space.-- pertinax, May 25 2018 // Are you thinking of (by which I mean misremembering) Ayaks? //
Nope. Definitely not.The article I can no longer find had no mention of the mesosphere or high atmospheric flight at all.I do however remember posting about it here before and leaving a link about what I had read.
Focussed microwaves, superheated column of air collapsing like a vacuum tunnel dragging a Russian jet behind it as though friction was non-existent.
Searching for variations of any of the words I've just used to describe what I saw don't have hits anywhere on the net including here where I remember quite clearly mentioning this exact tech more than once in the past.
There are many things I used to be able to find on the internet that I can [notexactly] seem to find anymore...
See what I did there? I made a funny.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, May 25 2018 EvilTronics - I like how you think. Ray gun will state: RAYS MAY CONTAIN PEANUTS, TREE NUTS, NEUTRONS, LASERS OR ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE. EAR PROTECTION IS ADVISED.
Actually it will not state that but we will put a sticker on the side with that text. Maybe one on each side, for safety.-- bungston, May 29 2018 random, halfbakery