Plasma Airlocks For Spin Launch.... Possible?

[Spacescifi]

So I watched the video and noticed both challenges and complexity required with the airlock doors.

 

So I wondered if a plasma window airlock could work?

 

I realize they are on a budget... but imagine Elon went crazy and bankrolled Spin Launch to install plasma window airlocks or is this only a scifi dream?

 

Could it work?

Fact: I read plasma windows can hold air from leaving. How much I do not know.

Edited August 19, 2022 by Spacescifi

[kerbiloid]

The plasma layer could be heating the air molecules and blow them back to the room.

At the same time, the crew could be having a sunbath near it and grill chickens.

But it needs a power support, while a usual door doesn't.

Also any solid body consists of atoms held together by the electromagnetic forces.
I.e. any solid body is a shaped electromagnetic field with captured atoms.

So, you can treat any solid door as an ultimate case of a self-powered plasma airlock.

Edited August 19, 2022 by kerbiloid

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

Doesn't that thing have to throw a rock at Mach 32 to get it to orbit?

[Shpaget]

They seem to be perfectly happy with mechanical double door solution.

They even claim that no air gets into the main chamber before the inner doors shut.

[magnemoe]

3 hours ago, Shpaget said:

They seem to be perfectly happy with mechanical double door solution.

They even claim that no air gets into the main chamber before the inner doors shut.

This, and you could make the airlock longer to make sure this works out, I say that is one of the easiest part of this. 
Note the inner door only has to close fast, the outer has to open and close fast. You could even have an secondary doors who was much more air thigh but uses a couple of second to operate, you open this before launch and close after, probably more important for the inner door. 

[kerbiloid]

And the distance between the inner and the outer doors should exceed human arm span. 2.5 m or so.

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

You know the guy with more dollars than sense?

 

Perfect investment opportunity. 

[Exoscientist]

 Video on the discovery of the plasma window:

 

A disadvantage is the high power requirements, 8 kilowatts for a window 1 cm wide. So for a window about 10 cm wide, 4 inches, presuming it scales by area it would take in the range of 1 megawatts.

  Robert Clark

 

[sevenperforce]

Plasma windows have been seriously proposed for maglev launch so I don't see why it wouldn't be possible for spinlaunch.

Except of course for all of the reasons why spinlaunch won't work.

[HebaruSan]

On 8/19/2022 at 4:47 PM, magnemoe said:

Note the inner door only has to close fast, the outer has to open and close fast.

Once the inner (solid) door is closed, presumably it can keep air out of the main chamber by itself. Is there a reason for the outer door to close fast? Seems like you could leave it open, conduct an inspection, then close it and pump the air out before the next launch.

And no, I see no reason why this alternate proposal would be viable.

[Shpaget]

7 minutes ago, HebaruSan said:

Is there a reason for the outer door to close fast?

Launch cadence, presumably.

Fast outer door means less air to pump before next launch, and since they dream about launching every couple of hours, this would help.

[Hannu2]

On 8/19/2022 at 11:08 PM, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

You know the guy with more dollars than sense?

No. For some strange reason those guys with limited sense and high level of tech enthusiasm (including me) rarely have dollars for investments.

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

2 minutes ago, Hannu2 said:

No. For some strange reason those guys with limited sense and high level of tech enthusiasm (including me) rarely have dollars for investments.

You need better friends! 

[wumpus]

3 hours ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

You need better friends! 

I think that's the whole point of going  to Stanford (previously Harvard).  Lots of money gets thrown around to all sorts of startups.