Solarspot

(I'm not sure if this is the right thread for this thought of mine. Maybe it's hairbrained enough.) Let's say we were building an electromagnetic catapult to lob payloads to Earth-orbit speeds. Use a solid structure 100 km off the ground, and I've been guessing 100km length to accelerate on. I've read that coil guns can't keep accelerating payloads above 2km/s, due to switching time on the coils taking too long compared to the payload's displacement during the switching time. (I've also read somebody say this is false. I dunno.) So, two alternatives, that are not-quite the same thing; Since the speed of electric current in wire is not infinite, could one long coil of wires give current enough travel-distance that the electromagnetic field would only advance linearly-forward at some small pace? Say, that same 2km/s that coilguns might or might not be capable of? I remember calculating that a single-cable-thick coil of coaxial cable would advance linearly at... 70km/s or so. I've thought that if the speed of the field can change merely via turns around a cylinder per linear-distance, then changing that could allow for a gradually accelerating singular field. Could a payload ride the front of that to accelerate? The second, and maybe more hairbrained version, would be to build up a static charge behind the (charged) payload, similarly have the charge advance at a small pace behind it, slowly accelerating as it accelerates the payload. Would this one blow up?

So, I've been pondering doing an Elcano of my own. (Would be my first forum challenge). While I was reading through the previous thread (Started by Claw) there were a couple of discussions of the very low-G moons, and how to handle them. I'm a bit curious about making a project of doing all of the low-G moons in succession, myself. Tho a couple of people in that thread seemed to dislike driving on them Also, a point I saw in the rules of the last thread but don't see in this one, am I allowed to test the rover out before starting the journey? Is that only on Kerbin? And while I was pondering doing that, I tried out building long range rovers on Kerbin. Just for practice sake. My latest rethink of the idea performs surprisingly well... So well in fact, I've started thinking about doing a Kerbin Elcano, instead of (or before) any of the low-G moons. My Kerbin-based long range amphibious rover: So, any thoughts on what I should do? Take that rover out on a Kerbin Elcano? The views might be nice in a couple of places... Or try to do all of the low-G moons? A few of the old Minmus voyages looked really interesting. When I started thinking about doing this myself, I was going to use Near Future ion drives to help stick to the ground... Might make Gilly feasible? (I had submitted this post before a week or so back, might have been auto-signed-out by the time I hit reply. If the old one's still waiting for mod review, sorry for the re-post.)

;P Most of my rockets are actually quite stable just in terms of flight dynamics. Usually run into staging issues. I think the problem I had with Lifter 2 last I ran it was a staging issue... (Lifter 2 is basically Lifter 1 but with 1 boosters instead of 3, and no fairing on top) Lifters 3/4 had extensive structural issues, and 4 doesn\'t have a big enough engine. Still, I like 1 just because of how easy it is to fly. Feels way easier to fly properly than 3-tanks-and-an-engine style rockets. That said, once I\'ve gotten those mass simulator parts (by I forget who) visible again, I\'ll check out the lifting capacity of it. After that I can make a proper go at a LKO space station 8)

...Quite ...a few *twitch* That\'s probably the 20\'th rocket I thought worthy to save. Ironically Lifter 2 doesn\'t work as well, Lifter 3 has yet to survive first stage flight (I don\'t think there is a structurally sound way to hold onto 8 of those 2m giant SRBs... the 90 weight ones). Lifter 4 is incomplete, for lack of a sufficiently powerful 3m engine to overcome the force of gravity on the second stage. 2300 thrust still leaves me unable to climb. That said, the station itself isn\'t really the best looking in this thread. It has 6 habitation modules, plenty of solar panels, a fuel tank acting as the main electrical bus / life support / propulsion... and an RCS pod for a docking module ??? Maybe I\'ll make my own station module if I ever figure out modding :

\'tis my best looking space station yet, carried by my aptly-named Lifter 1 8) Rocket works extremely well. Absolute charm to fly until release of the payload fairing. Then it tends to sway a bit much when I try to steer > And yes, the rocket is a bit out sized. Hits orbit with nearly all stage 2 fuel left. Passed 4 km/s after stage 2 burn out and using the station\'s internal propulsion system in that video ;D Oh and this is my first post. *welcomes self*