New idea to transport resources railgun instead of rockets

[IllyrianTheGreat]

Is this possible?

http://www.space.com/36442-could-moon-miners-use-railguns-to-launch-ore-into-space.html

[Shpaget]

While there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the concept, the energy densities required are still too high for anything practical.

Edit:

The idea is not new, though. Heinlein wrote about it in 1960s. 

Edited April 13, 2017 by Shpaget

[Urses]

@Shpaget ninjaed

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Is_a_Harsh_Mistress

@IllyrianTheGreat give it a go. Railgun concept, cyborg enginiering as limb prostetic and AI Concepts. A great book to have a good time. Has a good view on colonisaton problems too. 

@topic massdriver/railgun concept is a diskussion point for projects that involve atmosphereless worlds or orbital structures.

Edited April 13, 2017 by Urses

[kerbiloid]

A.Clarke, Fountains of Paradize, "San Luiz Domingo"
 

https://books.google.ru/books?id=3aM0EcMYe9UC&pg=PT64&lpg=PT64&dq=Fountains+of+Paradise+San+Luiz+Domingo&source=bl&ots=IAlT5hudHH&sig=ny018eFS1f2PJ0taA53dalKVxhM&hl=ru&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwip7o6YjaHTAhWjJJoKHZosA5YQ6AEIMjAC

Edited April 13, 2017 by kerbiloid

[KerikBalm]

I've got this new idea: We could put humans on mars using rockets!

Seriously... this idea is 50 years old. Its been suggested for the Moon, for Mars, even for Earth (with the end of the railgun elevated quite a bit so that the muzzle is high in the atmosphere in thinner air - although many other similar designs that don't use EM propulsion have been proposed like this as well).

There was some saying I was trying to find, buy my searching only found a song with a similar title... here are some of the lyrics:

Quote

And don't throw the past away
You might need it some other rainy day
Dreams can come true again
When everything old is new again
When everything old i-is new-ew a-again

 

[sevenperforce]

A mass driver on the moon or on an asteroid is a fine idea, sure.

[Razorforce7]

Would there be a actual gain if you were to build this on Earth with the following scenario.

Make a solid construction with Mount Everest as it's base and tower the railgun to about 36.000 feet or something (much higher if possible). This is very, very bold I know, don't get into engineering details, just the theoretical gain please.
Then shoot a 1stage rocket on this rails and let it climb on the slope of the Mount everest or something with as much speed as the stage can bare (3000, 4000!?mph maybe?)
This way we will be able to drastically lower the launch mass. Up to the point perhaps where we'll be able to launch stuff to orbit with a single stage.
I'm sure we will have found better ways to get to orbit by the time such a project is even accepted let alone build. Just wondering if it would be at all usefull.

 

[tater]

"New idea?"

I was reading about this in a space colonies book I have from the 70s:

Colonies in Space

Still have the book.

[0111narwhalz]

I was reading about this basic idea in a book by Jules Verne. From Earth to the Moon and its sequel Around the Moon. Praise the Columbiad!

[Nibb31]

The only problem is actually going to the Moon and building a huge railgun there.

Edited April 13, 2017 by Nibb31

[sevenperforce]

1 hour ago, Razorforce7 said:

Would there be a actual gain if you were to build this on Earth with the following scenario.

Make a solid construction with Mount Everest as it's base and tower the railgun to about 36.000 feet or something (much higher if possible). This is very, very bold I know, don't get into engineering details, just the theoretical gain please.
Then shoot a 1stage rocket on this rails and let it climb on the slope of the Mount everest or something with as much speed as the stage can bare (3000, 4000!?mph maybe?)
This way we will be able to drastically lower the launch mass. Up to the point perhaps where we'll be able to launch stuff to orbit with a single stage.
I'm sure we will have found better ways to get to orbit by the time such a project is even accepted let alone build. Just wondering if it would be at all usefull.

It's a common proposal, and it's not a terribly bad one. Now, towering up to 36,000' is a bit overly optimistic. The infrastructure investment is just so high that we'd never be able to get it set up when you can just put your orbital stage on top of a first stage and launch from anywhere.

Not to mention that you're limited as to inclination.

[DoctorDavinci]

I'll just leave this here ......

 

Edited April 13, 2017 by DoctorDavinci

[tater]

Or The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

[IllyrianTheGreat]

4 hours ago, tater said:

"New idea?"

I was reading about this in a space colonies book I have from the 70s:

Colonies in Space

Still have the book.

new for me